


For Love and Money

by NedsBrownEyes (KTMcGivens)



Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Broken Promises, Engagement, F/M, Falling In Love, Family, Father-Daughter Relationship, Grandmother - Freeform, Kidnapping, Love, Love Confessions, Marriage, Money, Mystery, Rescue, True Love, Weddings, granddaughter, servant - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-26 15:10:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18719572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KTMcGivens/pseuds/NedsBrownEyes
Summary: Ned and Nancy's love for each other is tested as their wedding ceremony approaches.  Romance mixed in with a mystery in true Nancy Drew fashion.





	1. Chapter 1

Nancy Drew couldn’t decide which was worse, the tight rope that bound her hands behind her back or the gag that was nearly chocking her to death. The stuffiness of the dark room wasn’t helping matters either. 

Sara, the young girl that she had been hired to rescue, was not in any discomfort for the moment, having fainted minutes ago.

“What a fool I was to walk right into his trap,” Nancy chided herself, “I can’t imagine what I was thinking.”

She continued the struggle to free her hands. It had been at least an hour since she had been knocked out and taken to this location with Sara. And it was over 24 hours since she had been gone from her home.

“If only I had told someone where I was going,” she sighed, feeling the knots begin to loosen. “I could have counted on Ned, Bess, or George to be looking for me by now.”

Suddenly, tears filled her eyes when she thought of Ned Nickerson. “No, not Ned,” she thought, “not anymore.” What had happened between them brought her to despair, but she shook her head. “I can’t think of that now,” she said under her breath, “I must concentrate on getting out of here.”

Fifteen minutes later, she was finally able to slip her hands from the rope and pull off the gag. 

“Phew!” she exclaimed, taking a deep breath. Although the air was stale, it felt so much better to have the gage off. She moved over to Sara, who was just regaining consciousness.

“What happened?” asked the girl, as Nancy removed her bounds.

“Looks like I’ve been captured by the same guy that grabbed you,” Nancy told her. 

“Yes,” agreed Sara, “that would be Lucky Bennett. I did try to warn you,” she added grimly.

“And it looks like we’ve been moved. This doesn’t look like the same room you were in before,” said Nancy.

“I think you’re right,” said Sara, looking around and nodding. 

The two got to their feet and tried the door. Nancy was not surprised to find it locked. There was a small transom window above it but no easy way to reach it. And, even if one of them did, it didn’t look like it opened.

Tears began to roll down the cheeks of the sixteen year old Sara. “It’s no use” she sobbed, “I don’t know who you are but I’m really sorry that you got caught trying to rescue me.”

“My name’s Nancy Drew and I’ve been hired by your grandmother to find you,” Nancy replied, smiling, “and it is entirely my fault that we’re in this predicament. I should have realized that when I didn’t see him standing in the room, that he might be hiding behind the door. Who is he? Have you ever seen him before?”

“Oh, yes! His name is Lucky Bennett and he sometimes works for us. But why would he do such a thing?” cried Sara, as her sobs quieted, somewhat.

“Sara, desperate people do desperate things, sometimes,” replied Nancy, softly, “and I don’t believe that Lucky’s working alone. I think someone has found themselves in dire straights for some reason and that’s why they kidnapped you.”

Sara shook her head in disbelief, bringing her hands to her face to wipe away her tears. 

“But why?” she asked, “what have I ever done to them?”

“It’s not you they really want,” Nancy answered, “It’s the money that your grandmother will pay them to get you back.”

“So, I’m being held for ransom?” Sara asked.

“Yes,” replied Nancy, “I think so. That’s the only reason that makes sense.”

“If we weren’t rich, they would have left us alone,” said Sara, reflectively, adding, “I hate money!”

Nancy, who had been running her hands along the walls of the room, stopped and smiled at her. 

“Well, I must admit, I agree with you there,” she said, nodding her head, “it certainly can be the root of all evil, as the saying goes.”

Her thoughts, once again, returned to the argument she and Ned had just days before. He was concerned about being able to support her once they were married. 

“What if Grandmother refuses to pay the ransom?” murmured Sara, interrupting Nancy’s thoughts. 

“I’m sure she’ll pay whatever amount they ask in order to get you back, Sara,” assured Nancy, “I know that my father would do the same for me.”

“He may have too, Nancy,” Sara pointed out, “since they’ve captured you as well.”

Nancy hadn’t thought about it in quite those terms, but Sara might very well be right. She had been hired to find out what had happened to Sara. But she hadn’t planned on being caught. The kidnappers may come to realize that her famous father may be a means of gaining some additional money.

By now, she imagined that he and Hannah would be out of their minds with worry. Although the Drews were very well off, her father would not be able to pay anywhere near the same amount in ransom that the culprits would get for Sara Worthington. Hazel Worthington, Sara’s grandmother, was a famous actress and matriarch of a very wealthy family dynasty. Sara had lived with her since the death of her parents from an automobile accident three years ago.

When Sara had disappeared yesterday, it was first assumed that she had run away from home. She had gotten into an argument with her grandmother about going to a dance with a boy who lived on the other side of town. Bobby Murray worked as a delivery boy at one of the local bakery shops and he and Sara had met during a delivery to her home.

“Bobby is a nice boy,” Sara told Nancy, as they sat on the floor of their prison, “it’s not like I was going to marry him or anything. He invited me to a dance at the community center and I wanted to go. I don’t care that he’s poor, but Grandmother says that he’s not good enough for me.”

Nancy nodded in sympathy and took Sara’s hand. “I know Bobby Murray. He is a nice hardworking young man. But, Sara, I believe that your grandmother is only trying to do what she thinks is best for you. Perhaps if she got to know Bobby better…”

“No, it will never happen,” Sara sighed, interrupting Nancy, “she doesn’t like poor people.”

Nancy knew that it was no use arguing with the girl. She also knew that Sara wasn’t entirely wrong. Mrs. Worthington definitely had a bias against those without substantial financial means.

Ned’s words echoed in her mind. 

“I think we should postpone the wedding until I’m able to support you,” he had said.

And she had jumped off his lap and thrown her engagement ring at his head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You are going to pull yourself together and help me find her, Ned Nickerson,” said Carson Drew, angrily, “before something happens to her and Sara Worthington.

Nancy’s father had nearly broken down Ned’s door before the young man had been able to drag himself out of bed and downstairs to finally open it. So awful was Ned’s physical appearance that Mr. Drew almost felt sorry for him. It was obvious that Ned hadn’t showered in two days leaving his hair rumpled and unclean. He had also not shaved and had the beginnings of a beard. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and he had not bothered to change out of the clothes he wore since Carson had last seen him on the night of their small dinner party.

“Good, god, Ned!” exclaimed Mr. Drew, “you look terrible. Go shave and shower immediately while I get some fresh clothes for you! Hurry, there isn’t any time to waste.”

For a moment Ned stood still, somewhat dazed and not entirely comprehending the commands from the man who was supposed to be his future father-in-law. However, he let Nancy’s father grab him by the shoulders and push him up the stairs, shoving him in the direction of the bathroom. 

“Leave the door open so I can keep an eye on you,” added Mr. Drew, “I don’t want to find that you’ve accidently cut your throat.”

Thirty minutes later, they were driving toward the outskirts of town. Ned was seated in the passenger seat, two pieces of toast in his lap, and a cup of coffee in the cup holder nearby. After a shave, shower, and wearing fresh clothes, Ned was nearly back to his old self.

“I won’t ask you what happened between you and my daughter after we left your place the other night,” said Carson Drew, “other than to let you know that you have hurt Nancy very badly.”

Ned looked up and winced. “I didn’t mean too, sir,” he replied, “please believe me. I thought I was doing the right thing…”

Carson silenced him with a wave of his hand and continued, “as I said, we won’t talk about that right now. If we do, I won’t be held responsible for what I might do to you. But Nancy has disappeared, and I need your help.”

“Of course, sir,” exclaimed Ned, “I’ll do whatever it takes to find her! Can you tell me what happened?”

“You will remember that she told us, at dinner, that she had just been hired by Mrs. Hazel Worthington to track down the whereabouts of her granddaughter Sara,” explained Mr. Drew as Ned nodded. “Nancy left very early the next morning, after coming in late from your house. She told me that she hadn’t been able to sleep and wanted to get a jump on the case. I noticed that she didn’t eat anything for breakfast other than a few bites of toast. She looked tired and upset and when I asked her if anything was wrong, she would only tell me that the two of you were no longer engaged. She mentioned something about having to phone the church and florist to cancel the arrangements and that she intended to do so when she returned home that afternoon. That’s the only indication that we have that she didn’t expect to be gone for more than a few hours. So far, it’s been well over that!” 

Ned lowered his face and looked down at his hands resting on his lap. 

“If anything has happened to Nancy,” Ned murmured, “I don’t know what I’ll do. 

“Yes, well, I’ll tell you what you’re going to do right now,” said Carson Drew, rather forcefully, “you’re riding with me over to Bess and George’s to pick them up. We’ll then drive to Mrs. Worthington’s to see if we can find any clues to the girl’s whereabouts.”

Nancy’s best friends, Bess Marvin and her cousin George Fayne, were waiting for them in Bess’s front yard and they quickly jumped in Mr. Drew’s car, greeting both men warmly. It was obvious that neither girl knew what had happened between Ned and Nancy. They arrived at the Worthington home in under an hour.

The Worthington estate was quite large and, as the gate was opened by Frank Post, the gardener and part-time chauffeur, the group drove up a long driveway, through lush gardens and rolling acreage toward an impressive mansion sitting at the top of a hill. 

“Wow!” exclaimed George, “quite nice digs!” as everyone nodded in agreement. 

“Do you have any news for me?” asked Hazel Worthington, after Mr. Drew introduced himself and the others.

“No, not yet,” he answered, “but now Nancy has gone missing. We can only surmise that she’s run into some trouble tracking down Sara. We hoped that by putting our heads together, we might come up with something.”

“That’s how Nancy would start,” added George, “if she didn’t have anything to go on.”

“What can you tell us about Sara?” asked Ned, looking over at Mrs. Worthington, “is there any reason why she might have disappeared on her own?”

“You mean run away?” replied Mrs. Worthington, stiffly, “is that what you’re asking, young man?”

“Well, yes ma’am,” said Ned, somewhat taken aback, “is Sara the kind of girl that might run away?”

“Ned does not mean to imply anything,” said Mr. Drew to Mrs. Worthington, “it’s just that we have to investigate all possibilities.”

“Humph,” said the girl’s grandmother, “well, truth be told, Sara and I did have a bit of an argument the night before she disappeared.”

“What about?” asked Carson Drew.

“She wanted to attend a dance with a boy that I find unsuitable, so I forbade it,” said Mrs. Worthington, “she’s too young to be attending such functions, anyway.”

“I see,” replied Mr. Drew, nodding, “do you know the young man’s name and where he might live?”

“No, I do not!” replied Hazel Worthington, empathically.

Hearing this, Bess ducked out of the room, unnoticed, while the others asked the elderly woman a few more questions.

“What was the last thing Sara said to you?” asked George.

“She said goodbye to me as she left for school that morning,” replied Mrs. Worthington, “but she didn’t return that afternoon after classes ended.”

“Did Sara usually walk home after school or was she picked up by car?” asked Carson Drew.

“I usually send Frank Post in the car for her, but she told me that she was going to walk home yesterday,” she replied. “which was not altogether unusual. When she didn’t come home, though, I sent Frank down to the school to look for her, but she had disappeared without a trace.”

“Did Mr. Post try to track down the young man who asked her to the dance?” asked Ned. 

“No,” replied the elderly lady, “I do not permit him to go to that side of town with the car. It’s not safe.”

“Well, we won’t take up any more of your time, Mrs. Worthington,” said Mr. Drew, “we’ll let you know as soon as we hear anything.”

“Please do,” said Sara’s grandmothers, her eyes filling with tears, “I don’t mean to sound harsh or ungrateful. I’m just so frightened that something has happened to my darling granddaughter. She is all I have left and she mean’s everything to me!” and with that, she started to quietly sob in her handkerchief. 

As they let themselves out, Mr. Drew called for Mrs. Worthington maid. “I believe that your mistress needs you,” he instructed, as they closed the front door behind them.

“Well, I guess the first thing we should do is hunt down Sara’s mystery boyfriend,” stated Ned, “which will be rather difficult without knowing the young man’s name.”

“His name is Bobby Murray,” they heard a voice say just before Bess appeared from around the corner of the house. 

“How did you find that out?” asked George.

“Never underestimate a young girl’s relationship with the servants,” smiled Bess, joining them as they walked toward Mr. Drew’s car, “in this case, Mrs. Post, the cook. Sara spoke with her often about Bobby. She also told me where we can find him.”

“Excellent work, Bess,” exclaimed Mr. Drew, as he slid into the driver’s seat and started the ignition. 

As he drove back down the expansive driveway, he thought about Nancy’s relationship with Hannah. Bess was correct in what she said about a lonely girl’s relationship with the servants. Of course, Hannah was much more than a servant to the Drews. Over the years, she had become a surrogate mother to Nancy and the two were extremely close. 

It had been Hannah who had called Mr. Drew at his office when Nancy failed to show up after several hours and had not called home. Like him, she was extremely worry. Despite the fact that Nancy was often in danger when working on cases, somehow, this time it felt different. It wasn’t like Nancy to just seemingly disappear off the face of the earth without a trace.


	2. Chapter 2

“A little higher, Nancy,” said Sara, stretching her body as far as possible in the direction of the transom window, “I’m almost there!”

Nancy straightened her body, trying to give herself a little more height as she supported Sara on her shoulders. Fortunately for them both, Sara was tall, thin, and light although Nancy’s shoulders were sure to be bruised and sore after the repeated attempts to hoist Sara up and onto the ledge of the old fashion transom.

Just able to grasp the ledge by her finger tips, Sara was nevertheless able to scale up the wall with the aid of Nancy pushing up on the soles of her feet. She covered the final few inches by pressing her bare feet against the door and was soon tucked in a seated position on the ledge of the closed transom window.

“Can you see anything?” asked Nancy.

“Yes, it looks like we’re in an old abandoned school building,” replied Sara, “I see old lockers and some open classroom doors.”

“Why do you think the building’s abandoned?” asked Nancy, “after all, even if classes are over, there is usually someone who remains to clean.”

“Not this building,” replied Sara, sardonically, “there are holes in the walls and ceiling and dirt all over the place. No one’s been here for years.”

A thought crossed Nancy’s mind. “Sara, can you see any footprints on the hallway floor?”

Sara strained to look down from her perch and through the window. “Yes, I see footprints and some marks that look like something was dragged.”

“How many tracks of footprints can you make out?” Nancy asked.

“Two, I think,” replied Sara.

“And drag marks?” asked Nancy

“Two,” Sara answered.

“Describe them to me, please,” was Nancy’s strange request.

“What?” asked Sara.

“What exactly do the drag marks look like? Does it look as though someone’s been carried with their feet dragging behind them?”

“Oh, I see what you mean,” replied Sara, turning back to look through the window. She studied the marks for a moment before saying, “yes, definitely carried with dragging feet.”

“Well, that explains it,” said Nancy to herself. “Sara, do you see a latch that opens the window?”

“No,” she replied, running her fingers around the edges of the transom, “we’ll probably have to break it if we want to get out this way.”

Nancy glanced around for something strong enough to shatter the window. They were imprisoned in a medium sized room that had been a storage closet. In the corner stood an old rusted filing cabinet with many of its handles broken off. There were several cardboard boxes of writing paper, pencils, paperclips, and a stack of wooden rulers. In the opposite corner rested an old hat rack, two large sacks with the words “lost and found” written on them, an empty mouse trap, and a deflated bicycle tire.

Nancy quickly opened one of the “lost and found” sacks and dumped the contents on the floor. Finding a few scarves, gloves, two shirts, a pair of glasses, and a sock, she grabbed the other sack, dragging it to the center of the room. She opened it and dumped out its contents revealing two comic books, a tap shoe, a lightweight jacket, and a wristwatch.

“Ah! This might work,” Nancy exclaimed, picking up the tap shoe and looking up at Sara still on the ledge. “Here, catch this,” she said, gently tossing it up to Sara who caught it easily. “Hold it by the toe and use the metal tap piece on the heel to break the glass.”

Sara began hitting the window with the tap shoe but, despite her best efforts, was only able to break a fist size hole open in the corner of the glass. Feeling totally defeated, she slid back down the door after 30 minutes of effort.

“It’s no use,” sighed Sara, “we’ll never get out of here on our own. I suppose our best bet will be when someone comes with food, which I hope is soon. I’m starving.”

Nancy, herself, was very hungry, having eaten nothing but a few bites of toast yesterday morning at breakfast. But she had the distinct feeling that no one was going to be coming with food.

“Sara,” she began, as she and the girl sat back down on the floor, “it’s possible that our captors have no intention of feeding us.”

“What do you mean?” asked Sara, panic in her voice.

“I think that they would have already feed us since we’ve been here since late yesterday evening,” said Nancy, sadly. 

“So, they’ve left us here to starve,” said the young girl.

“Well, I sincerely hope not,” replied Nancy, “although it looks like a possibility. It might be that they planned to escape with the ransom money as soon as they received it and assumed that we’d be found by someone soon. Perhaps the police or our friends, who I’m sure are looking for us.”

“I don’t have any friends,” said Sara softly, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her forehead on them.

“I’m sure you do,” replied Nancy, “and I know for a fact that your grandmother is looking for you. That’s why she hired me.”

“What good did that do?” cried Sara, “you’re caught too!”

“Yes, but I’m sure that my friends are looking for me!” exclaimed Nancy, “and they’ll find us! Just you wait and see!” she added, hoping that her friends were, in fact, searching for her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nancy needn’t have worried. At that very moment, George was questioning Bobby Murray at Francoise’s Bakery Shop.

”You admit that you know Sara Worthington?” said George, glaring at the young man.

“Sure. Sara’s swell,” replied Bobby, blushing slightly.

“When’s the last time you saw her,” asked Bess, who was standing next to George.

“Yesterday morning,” Bobby replied, “I walked her to school.”

“You did?” asked Ned, walking over to stand beside Bess and George. “Isn’t Sara’s school out of your way. How can you walk her to school and make it to class yourself? Isn’t your school on the other side of town?”

Bobby looked down at his shoes. “Yes, sir,” he replied, “my school is on the other side of town, but I don’t go anymore. I turned seventeen last May and my ma told me that I had to start supporting the family. My pa was killed at Normandy, during the war, so now I’m the man of the family.” Bobby slipped his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. “I tried to go to school and work at the bakery at the same time but I just couldn’t keep up. But it’s O.K. I don’t mind working.”

“Do you miss school?” asked Ned, studying the boy’s expression.

“Yes,” he admitted, “I wanted to be an Engineer. My teachers said I would make a good one, too. My grades were good enough to get into Emerson College,” he added proudly.

“You wanted to go to Emerson?” asked Ned, smiling.

“You bet! Emerson’s the best,” said Bobby, excitedly, but then became sullen, “but I’ll find something else to do. Just wait. I’ll show Sara’s grandmother that I’m worthy of her!”

“Do you often walk Sara to school in the mornings,” asked George, returning to the issue at hand.

“Yes,” replied Bobby, “and walk her home afterward. Except when her grandmother sends Mr. Post to pick her up. I believe old Mrs. Worthington does that just to keep us apart!”

“Were you supposed to walk Sara home yesterday after school?” asked Bess.

“Yes, but she never showed up at our secret place,” said the boy, softly, “I waited for over an hour. I figure that her grandmother found out about us and had Sara picked up.”

“Well, it appears that Sara was indeed picked up,” said Ned, “but, perhaps, not by Mr. Post!”

When the group returned to Mr. Drew’s car, Bobby came with them, having just finish his work shift and begging for the chance to help.

“I suggest that we split up,” recommended Carson Drew, “Ned, I’ll drop you off at your car and you and Bobby can search for clues at the place where he meets Sara after school. Bess and George can go back to Mrs. Worthington’s to talk with all the servants. I’m going to go to the police station and have a talk with Chief McGinnis to see if they’ve turned up anything. We’ll rendezvous back at my house at 3:00 to compare notes.”

Everyone agreed and they were soon on their way to their various destinations.

“This is the place,” said Bobby, pointing to an alleyway four blocks from St. Pius, the private school that Sara Worthington attended. “Posh, ain’t it?” he joked, as they had passed by, “the kids have to wear dark blue jackets with a crest on the pocket and red neck ties. Even the girls. Sara tells me that they’re all rich snobs. I guess that’s why she likes me so much. I’m different.”

Ned smiled at him as he pulled the car to the curb and parked. 

As the two stepped onto the sidewalk, Ned suggested that they start looking for clues in the alleyway and then work their way back toward the school building. 

A search of the alleyway, itself, produced nothing but, as Ned and Bobby started in the direction of St. Pius, Bobby suddenly spotted a purse alongside the roadway. 

“Hey!” he exclaimed, picking it up and turning it over in his hand, “this is Sara’s!”

“I wonder if Sara accidently dropped this when she was picked up on her way to meet you,” said Ned, looking over Bobby’s shoulder. “It might mean that she didn’t go of her own free will.”

“You mean, someone may have grabbed her and, in the struggle, she dropped her purse?” asked Bobby.

“Exactly!” answered Ned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I wish I had my purse,” sighed Sara, “I had a candy bar in it. We could have split it. Gosh I’m hungry.”

Nancy agreed. Her stomach had been rumbling for hours and she had a headache. Half a candy bar sounded lovely. Then again, so did water. If help didn’t come soon, she and Sara would be in serious trouble. 

At least the hole they had made in the transom window provided a bit of air flow and the room was not as stuffy as it had been hours before. 

She gathered her resolve and stood up, glancing around the room. “There’s simply got to be a way out of here!” she exclaimed to Sara. “I’ve just got to find it!”

“It’s no use,” sighed Sara, curling up into a ball on the floor, “we’re going to die in here.”

“We’re going to be found,” replied Nancy, hoping to herself that this was indeed true, “soon, I’m sure. Let’s think about something else. Tell me about Bobby. Is he your boyfriend?”

“Yes, I think so,” Sara answered, blushing, “I mean, we’re not really official. He hasn’t asked me to be his girlfriend or anything like that. But I really like him and he says he really likes me.”

“I think that makes you official,” chuckled Nancy, examining the walls again, “tell me about him. What’s he like. What do you two do for fun?”

“Well, we mostly walk to and from my school,” answered Sara. “and sometimes we sneak over to the ice cream parlor and we share a banana float. Bobby always insists on paying for it although I have much more money with my allowance than he makes at the bakery. He has to work to support his family. His Dad was killed in the war.”

“Oh,” replied Nancy, turning to look at her, “he sounds like a very responsible young man. You’re lucky to have found each other.”

“Yes,” sighed Sara, “he’s very nice. And cute, and strong, and brave. He once punched Harry Goodson right in the nose!”

“Good gracious,” exclaimed Nancy, “why on earth did he do that?”

“Because Harry was picking on me after school,” replied Sara, excitedly, “and Bobby said he was defending my honor! Isn’t that just dreamy?”

Nancy smiled and said, “Yes. Very.” 

“Do you have a boyfriend Nancy?” asked Sara, “I bet you do. You’re pretty so you probably have lots of boyfriends.”

Nancy blushed slightly and smiled, “only one,” she replied, “and for many years.” She sat down on the floor across from Sara and fell silent, her eyes cast downwards. Over the last two days, she had tried not to think of Ned but, of course, he was always on her mind. 

Sara sat up and studied her. “What’s the matter?” she asked, after a few minutes, “hasn’t he ever defended your honor?”

“Yes,” replied Nancy, softly, “many, many times.”

“Wow,” exclaimed Sara, “many times, huh? So, what’s wrong with him? Is he ugly? Or, maybe he cheats on you?” she paused, and then added dramatically, “is that it? You need to dump him, Nancy, get rid of him now!”

“No, Ned’s not like that at all,” smiled Nancy, shaking her head, “he’s never cheated on me. He treats me like I’m the only woman in the world. He tells me that I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to him. He actually fell in love with me at first sight.” 

Sara sighed loudly at this and, cradling her head in her hands, replied dreamily, “Love at first sight. How romantic!”

“I used to get jealous if another girl flirted with him but he can’t help that,” continued Nancy, “he’s very good looking and very sweet. He just attracts girls like a magnet,” she added, chuckling. “But throughout our years together, Ned has been loving and loyal.”

“Good looking, huh?” said Sara, raising her eyebrows.

“Gorgeous,” replied Nancy, nodding. 

“Then why are you looking so sad?” asked Sara, “are you worried that you might never see him again?”

“No….yes….well, maybe,” she said, tears in her eyes, “we were supposed to get married in a few months and we had a silly argument two nights ago. We both lost our tempers and I took off my engagement ring and threw it at him.”

“Oh, don’t tell me,” interjected Sara, “before you two could make up, you got caught while trying to rescue me.”

“Yes,” replied Nancy, nodding. 

“Wow,” said Sara, “that’s puts things behind the eight-ball.”

“Yes,” agreed Nancy, “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”


	3. Chapter 3

The night of the argument had started out fairly pleasant for Nancy. She and Ned were entertaining their parents at Ned’s home, which would also soon be hers after the wedding. She and Ned had picked it out together, eight months ago, when he had graduated from Emerson and they had gotten engaged. Ned had just started a wonderful job with the financial firm of Bailey Brothers and he and Nancy found the house in a neighborhood on the outskirts of River Heights, halfway between Ned’s job and Nancy’s father. It was the perfect little family home and Nancy just loved it. 

She didn’t cook often as living with Hannah Gruen, the best cook in town, negated having to do so. Besides, the busy amateur detective seldom had time away from solving cases. However, Hannah had taught Nancy how to both cook and bake, and she was going to fix dinner for her father and future in-laws. Nancy was both nervous and excited at the prospect.

She had warned Ned not to be late coming home from work as he would be responsible for entertaining their company while she finished up in the kitchen. So, she was not surprised when she heard his car drive up and Ned’s footsteps entering the hallway.

“Is that you, Ned?” she called out, as she bent over to place the meatloaf in the oven.

“Yes, it’s me,” she heard him reply, “be with you in a moment.”

She didn’t wait for him to come to her, and wiping her hands on her apron, walked out into the hallway just in time to see Ned quickly slide a cardboard box into the coat closet and shut the door. She pretended not to notice, coming up to him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders to give him a quick kiss.

“Hello, handsome,” she said in greeting, “you’re early. I know I asked you not to be late, but I didn’t expect you to leave work early. I hope I didn’t get you in trouble.”

“No, it’s alright, sweetheart,” he replied, returning the kiss, “something smells great! What would you like me to help you with? 

“Well, you could mix up the cocktails for your parents and open a bottle of wine for my father,” said Nancy, speaking over her shoulder as she returned to the kitchen, “then, after that, you can come sit and tell me how your day went.”

“This all feels very domestic, doesn’t it?” commented Ned, chuckling, as he headed toward the small living room.

“Are you complaining, Nickerson?” replied Nancy from the kitchen.

“Not in the least,” answered Ned, “I’m looking forward to it.”

The doorbell rang just as Ned was uncorking the wine bottle. When he opened the door, he found Nancy’s father standing there, with a bottle of wine in one arm and a bouquet of flowers in the other. 

“Good evening, sir,” said Ned, stepping back to allow his future father-in-law entrance.

“Good evening, Ned,” answered Carson Drew, “how are you? This is for you,” he said, handing the bottle to Ned. “Where is my lovely daughter?”

“In the kitchen,” Ned replied, pointing down the hallway.

Before he could close the front door, his parents pulled up to the curb. His mother waved to him as she and his father stepped from their car and walked up the front walkway.

“Hello, honey,” said Edith Nickerson, giving her son a kiss on the cheek. “My, you look tired! I hope you’re not working too hard.”

“I’m fine, Mom,” replied Ned, smiling, “please come in. It’s good to see you both.”

“This is for you,” said James Nickerson, shaking his son’s hand, and then handing him a bottle of wine.

“Thanks Dad,” Ned said, closing the door behind them.

“Where is that lovely fiancée of yours?” asked Mrs. Nickerson, “This box of chocolates is for her.”

Ned pointed down the hallway and then turned to bring the bottles of wine to the bar in the living room. He could hear his parents happily greet Nancy and Mr. Drew. 

“Tonight of all nights!” he sighed to himself, “Why did it have to happen today?” He felt sick inside and had a splitting headache. He wanted to crawl into bed and pull the covers over his head but the only thing to do was to get through the evening. He would figure things out in the morning. 

The meal was excellent, and, because Nancy and Ned had dated for years, the two families knew each other well so there was a familiar ease between them. 

“Nancy, the meal is delicious,” said James Nickerson, taking another heaping spoonful of green beans. 

“Thank you, Mr. Nickerson,” she answered, beaming, “I’m glad you like it.”

“Ned better keep exercising or else he’ll gain too much weight eating like this!” smiled his mother.

“I don’t think Ned needs to worry,” assured Nancy, winking at her future husband, “Ned’s always had a big appetite but he’s remained in great shape.”

“But that’s because he was a college athlete,” argued Ned’s father, “he’s a businessman now who sits all day behind a desk. Right son?”

Ned nodded in the direction of his father but said nothing and continued to eat his meal in silence. No one seemed to notice except Nancy. 

“So, how’s the new case coming along, Nancy?” asked her father, “do you have it solved yet?” he teased.

“Not yet, Dad,” answered Nancy, smiling, “I was just hired this morning and have only started on it.”

“Oh yes?” replied Edith Nickerson, “can you tell us about it?”

“Yes,” nodded the young detective, “I’ve been hired by Mrs. Hazel Worthington to track down the whereabouts of her granddaughter Sara.”

“Wow, that’s a big case,” commented James Nickerson, “Mrs. Worthington is one of the richest women in River Heights! What do you think has happened to Sara?”

“I’m not sure, yet,” replied Nancy, thoughtfully, “she’s most likely run away from home. She and her grandmother have had some disagreements in the past. She will probably return on her own eventually, but, until she does, I will need to do some investigating just in case.”

“Well it just goes to show that even the richest of families have problems,” replied Mrs. Nickerson, taking a bite of meatloaf, “money doesn’t buy happiness.” 

“Speaking of money and happiness, how’s the job coming along, Ned?” asked Carson Drew, “are you enjoying the work?”

“Yes sir,” replied Ned, “it’s fine. I’m enjoying it very much.”

“Good,” said Nancy’s father, “it’s a great firm and I’m sure you’ll get far.”

“Not like your cousin, Luke,” said Edith Nickerson, suddenly glancing up from her plate.

“Oh, honey,” sighed her husband, “we don’t want to bother these folks with family gossip.”

“I think Nancy should know where all the skeletons are hidden before she marries into the family,” teased Edith.

“Nancy’s a detective, dear,” James Nickerson teased back, “she will discover them whether you tell them about Luke or not.”

Ned’s mother poked her husband in the shoulder and continued. “A few years ago, Ned’s cousin Luke had a very lucrative job with a wonderful salary,” she said, glancing around the table. “They even gave him an expense account and a company car. Within his first two weeks, he got a membership to a very exclusive club and then purchased a large expensive house.”

“The family was a bit surprised,” interjected Ned’s father, “about the house, not the club membership. However, real estate is always a good investment, I suppose.”

“Did he need a large house?” asked Carson Drew, “I agree that real estate is a great investment but sometimes it’s best to start small. This house is just fine for Ned and Nancy. Very comfortable. They will have time to save up to buy a larger one when their family grows,” he added, winking at his daughter, causing her to blush.

“Dad,” was all she said.

“Yes, you have a point there,” replied Ned’s father, “but Luke said he needed a large house in order to entertain important clients.”

“Then he met this girl,” continued Edith, “what was her name, honey?”

“Vivian, I think,” replied James.

“Oh, yes, that’s right,” said Edith, “Vivian. A rather nice polite girl, but not very bright.”

“Edith!” exclaimed her husband.

“Well, she wasn’t,” replied his wife, “anyway, Luke fell head-over-heels and showered her with all sorts of expensive jewelry. Beautiful pieces too. I remembered her wearing a beautiful diamond necklace and an emerald bracelet when they stopped by to visit on their way to vacation in the Bahamas.”

“You’re lucky there, Ned,” said Carson Drew, turning to look at him, “Nancy doesn’t wear jewelry.”

Ned winced, started to say something, but then lifted his fork to take another bite of food.

Sensing his discomfort, Nancy said quickly, “Ned has given me several lovely pieces of jewelry, such as this necklace that I’m wearing,” and she patted the necklace around her neck, “but after a while, I asked him not to buy anymore because jewelry gets in the way when I’m working. Ned is very generous, though, and often buys me wonderful gifts. I love and appreciate whatever he gives me,” she added, looking over at Ned fondly. 

“Which is why my son is a lucky man,” smiled Mr. Nickerson, “he is marrying a very sensible girl who will not drive him into debt. It is a man’s duty to provide for his wife and family and you will make it very easy for him to do so, Nancy.”

“That’s rather old fashion of you, James,” said Carson Drew, “after all, it’s 1947 and all throughout the war, women worked men’s jobs while our guys fought oversees. I’m not sure that it’s entirely Ned’s job to support Nancy. Afterall, she also works.”

“But will she ever make as much money as Ned?” countered James, “she is still an amateur detective, although topnotch, I admit.”

“Gentleman, please!” interrupted Edith Nickerson, “let me continue my story before you two go out into the backyard with dueling pistols.”

James Nickerson and Carson Drew chuckled and nodded for Edith to continue.

“Luke and Vivian were living the good life,” replied Edith, “when, one morning, the police unexpectantly raided the company. It was discovered that the President of the firm, and his secretary, had been embezzling money from their investors. The two were arrested and sent to jail and the company had to pay back all of the money. Within a matter of a few weeks, the business went into bankruptcy and Luke found himself without a job.”

“Oh dear!” exclaimed Nancy, “that must have been devastating!”

“To say the least,” replied Edith, “you see, without any of us in the family knowing it, Luke and Vivian had eloped and gotten married. It was rather on impulse while they were travelling with friends. Then, suddenly, Luke was no longer employed. Fortunately, the war had just broken out and he was able to get a factory job but, of course, he was not making the money that he once was. He had to sell much of what he owned, and the bank took the house. Vivian left him soon after and had their marriage annulled.”

“Where is he now?” asked Carson Drew.

“Dead,” replied Ned, grimly, “heart attack.”

“Well, his mother likes to believe that he died of a broken heart,” replied Edith Nickerson, “and I tend to agree with her. But, as they say, one shouldn’t count one’s chicken’s before they hatch.”

“In other words,” added her husband, dryly, “Luke should have put some money aside instead of spending it all. He should have postponed marrying Vivian until he was more financially secure. After all, he hadn’t been at the company for very long before it went under.”

“How long had Vivian and Luke known each other before they got married?” Nancy asked.

“Well, let’s see,” replied Edith, putting down her fork, “I think it was only two weeks or so. I remember everyone thinking that she must be a gold digger, just after Luke’s money.”

“She left him pretty quickly once he lost his job,” agreed James, nodding his head, “I would say that’s proof enough.”

“But Luke found another job and was making money,” said Nancy, “surely they could have found a way to live on his salary?”

“You’re assuming that she loved him,” said her father, “but that’s not always the case. And, even if she did love him, sometimes that’s not enough to endure the hardships of a marriage without money.”

“That’s very true,” agreed James Nickerson, “we’ve been lucky! Edith and I hardly had a penny to our name when we first got married. It was tough for the first few years but I’m so insanely in love with this beautiful woman that our marriage has already lasted nearly 25 years.”

“Don’t let him fool you, Nancy,” chuckled Edith, reaching over and taking her husband’s hand, “he postponed the wedding twice before finally going through with it and then only because I went out with one of his college roommates.”

“Mom!” exclaimed Ned, nearly dropping his wine glass, “I didn’t know that! You cheated on Dad?”

“Well, not exactly,” chuckled his mother, “I was just trying to get his attention.”

“And it worked,” added his father, nodding.

“Best twenty dollars I ever spent,” said Edith Nickerson, giving his hand a squeeze.

After dinner, Nancy suggested that they retire to the living room for coffee and dessert. On the pretense of returning to the kitchen to retrieve another spoon, she quietly opened the hall closet to take a glance at the cardboard box that Ned had carried in with him earlier.

“Just as I suspected,” she said to herself softly.


	4. Chapter 4

Nancy tried to force open the locked door but, as before, it would not budge. Her gaze moved to its hinges. “If I could find a way to remove the pins from these hinges, maybe we could pull the door from its lock,” she said, looking around for something that might work as a tool. Spotting the wooden rulers, she lifted one from the stack and then picked up the tap shoe that had been lying next to Sara. Placing the edge of the ruler under the head of the hinge pin, she carefully tapped the end of it with the shoe. Although it was somewhat difficult to keep the ruler from slipping, Nancy could see that the pin was beginning to lift slowly. 

“Is it working?” asked Sara.

“Yes, I believe so,” replied Nancy, just as the ruler broke in her hands.

“Oh pooh!” exclaimed Sara, “now look what’s happened. We’ll never get out of here.”

“Yes, we will!” replied Nancy, “it’s just going to take some time. It was working before the ruler broke, but there are some more on the stack,” she added, reaching for another. Deciding that it might be best to keep Sara’s mind off their current predicament, Nancy asked the young girl when Frank and Myra Post had started working for her grandmother.

“For as long as I can remember,” shrugged Sara, “They used to be in show business with her. They all worked together in several theatre and movie productions and I suppose they became friends.”

“Really?” replied Nancy. She had been able to question most of the Worthington staff, but it had been the couple’s day off and she was told that they were away from the estate visiting Mrs. Post’s brother. 

“Yes,” Sara answered, “my mother knew them pretty well. She once told me that the Posts came to work for our family thinking that they’d get good jobs and make a lot of money because Grandmother is so rich. That’s why they left show business. Mother said that Mr. Post once told her that Grandmother had promised him that he would run her estate. Be sort of the manager. And that Mrs. Post would manage the house. I think that they were to live in the old game warden’s cottage near the back of the main house but that Grandmother never came through on her promises.”

“Are you sure that’s what they were promised?” asked Nancy, intrigued by this bit of news.

“Well, I can’t be completely sure because this came from my mother and not them,” said Sara, standing and coming closer to Nancy to see how she was progressing on the door, “but I can’t imagine why my mother would make up such a story.”

“Yes, you’re probably right,” Nancy replied, pausing to take a break from her task to rub her hands. “You know, last year, when I was at Emerson visiting Ned, his fraternity rented some classic movies and we watched “One night in Brooklyn” starring your grandmother. She was quite good in it and very beautiful.”

“Yes, that’s one of her best pictures,” said Sara, not much interest in her voice. “The Posts were in that too.”

“They were?” asked Nancy, “what were their roles? Do you remember?”

“Sure,” shrugged Sara, “Mrs. Post played Grandmother’s neighbor.”

“The one that was always eavesdropping?” asked Nancy, trying to remember how the actress looked in the film.

“Yes, that’s the one,” smiled Sara, “a role that was natural for her,” she hinted with humor. “Mr. Post played the taxi driver who drove Grandmother and Ronald Coleman around Brooklyn.”

Nancy remembered the taxi driver clearly. The role was a fairly large one so Mr. Post remained on film for a good portion of the picture. He was an average looking man of about forty years of age. In the movie, he looked to be of small build, about Nancy’s height, and wore a mustache. It was difficult to determine whether he had light or dark hair because he wore a taximan’s cap. Both he and his wife were good in their roles, and Nancy remembered that she and Ned had enjoyed the film. 

“Why are you so interested in the Posts?” asked Sara, playing with the broken pieces of ruler.

“Because I believe that they may be responsible for our kidnapping!” exclaimed Nancy, “it’s obvious that Lucky Bennett had help and I’ve been wondering who might really be behind this.”

“You think Lucky had help?” Sara asked.

“Yes, because of the footprints outside of this room in the hallway. Remember, you told me that there are two sets and a drag mark,” explained Nancy, “when we were knocked out, someone carried you to this room, leaving only his footprints. That was most likely Lucky Bennett. The other person must have decided that it would be easier to drag me along instead of carrying me. That could have been the smaller sized Frank Post. Although he’s probably pretty strong, he and I are about the same height and, as I was unconscious at the time and a dead weight, he would have found it difficult to carry me the entire length of the hallway. I suspect that he held me around my waist, causing my feet to drag behind which would leave the marks that you described.”

“Wow!” exclaimed Sara, looking at Nancy with admiration, “you’re right! I would never have thought of that! No wonder Grandmother hired you!”

“Well, we’re not out of the woods, yet,” said Nancy, smiling, “but I hope to be soon,” and she returned to the hinge pins.

While she worked, she thought, once again, about what happened on the night of the dinner party.

“Ned,” Nancy had said, “do you want to tell me about it.”

They were standing at the sink cleaning up the dinner dishes after their parents had left. All in all, it had been a very successful evening except for the fact that her fiancé had spoken very little and had looked forlorn. 

“Not really, Nancy,” Ned responded, “it’s something I have to work out on my own.”

“O.K.,” replied Nancy, knowing that she’d pry it out of him sooner or later, “how about another piece of pie?”

“No, I’m not hungry,” said Ned, and then added, “but the dinner was great, darling, really!”

After they finished, Nancy took the hand towel from him and hung it up to dry before taking his hand and leading him into the living room. 

“Not feeling well?” she asked as they sat close together on the couch, his arm draped over her shoulders.

“I’ve got a splitting headache,” he admitted, smiling down at her, “but I’ll be O.K.” 

They sat silently for a few minutes, enjoying the pleasure of being together.

“I’m glad that our parents get along so well,” Nancy said, after a while, “it would really be awful if they didn’t.”

“Yes,” agreed Ned, “but I’m not surprised. After all, they raised us and we get along great!”

“Indeed we do,” replied Nancy, tilting her face towards his and giving him a kiss, “good enough for you to tell me what’s bothering you?”

“Nancy!” exclaimed Ned, nearly shouting, “it’s nothing really!”

“All right, sweetheart,” replied Nancy, throwing up her hands in surrender, “I don’t wish to make you angry. I’m just worried about you. You don’t seem yourself tonight.”

“Hummm,” answered Ned, shaking his head, “I’m sorry, Nancy. I guess I am a little under the weather tonight. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh.”

Deciding to change tactics, Nancy asked Ned about his cousin Luke. “Did you know him well,” she asked.

“No, not really,” answered Ned, “he was quite a bit older than me and I had just started at Emerson when he died.”

“It’s really too bad about his marriage to Vivian,” she said, her head resting on Ned’s chest.

“Yes,” he replied, “I’m not sure about her feelings toward him, but I believe that Luke loved her. I remember seeing him at my Aunt Emma’s house one Christmas, and, just like my mother says, he was head-over-heels in love. I guess the men in my family fall hard,” he added, leaning down and kissing the top of her head.

She chuckled and squeezed his hand. “l love you, too,” she replied. “It was rather unwise of Luke not to put some of his large salary away into a saving account.” she added a moment later.

“Yes,” agreed Ned, “and equally unwise for he and Vivian to get married.”

“I’m not sure I agree with that,” replied Nancy, “I believe they could have found a way to make it work, especially if they really loved each other.”

“I disagree, Nancy,” Ned responded somewhat angrily, “I can’t believe what I’m hearing! You’re usually the practical one. I’m the dreamer!” He sat up straight, leaning away from the couch. “I’m realizing that life’s not fair, Nancy. Love doesn’t fix all things. It won’t pay the bills, or put food on the table, or keep a roof over our heads!”

Nancy stood and turned to look at him, putting her hands on her hips.

“Ned Nickerson,” she said, trying to keep calm, “I am not implying that it does. But when two people love each other, they work together to make the best out of a bad situation. Just because you lost your job, doesn’t give you the right to get angry with me.”

Ned looked up at her stunned. His jaw dropped open and he tried to speak, finally choking out the words, “how did you know?”

“Ned, I know you almost as well as I know myself,” she replied, “I saw that something was bothering you all through dinner, especially when your mother talked about Luke losing his job and his marriage to Vivian. I started to suspect that you had lost your job and, to confirm it, I opened the closet and looked at the cardboard box you placed there. I saw that it contained the things from your desk. What I can’t understand is why you didn’t want to tell me about it?”

Suddenly he looked drawn and tired. Her anger melted and she slid onto his lap.

“I’m sorry, darling,” she said, wrapping her arms around him, “I’m so terribly sorry. But I’m sure you’ll find another job soon. Don’t worry. And, until then, I’ll help.”

“No, Nancy,” replied Ned, sharply, “this is my fault. I knew that the company was experiencing some difficulties. I should have started looking for another job sooner, just like some of the other fellows, before they had to lay me off. But I kept thinking that everything would work out.”

“Ned,” Nancy started to say.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, Nancy,” he interrupted, “but my parents are right. I think we should postpone the wedding until I’m able to support you.”

“Ned, this is ridiculous,” replied Nancy, her anger returning, “after waiting for me all these years, you’re breaking our engagement?”

“No, Nancy,” he said quickly, “not at all! I’m just postponing our marriage for a while.”

“Ned Nickerson, I’m not putting the wedding on hold just because you’ve got cold feet,” she shouted at him.

“I don’t have cold feet, Nancy!” he shouted back, “but for once in your life you need to consider my feelings too! You’re not the only one getting married, you know!”

It was at that point that she leapt off his lap and threw the ring at his head.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ned and Bobby opened Sara’s purse to see if it contained any clues to her whereabouts. Inside they found a small compact, a tube of lipstick, a candy bar, a brightly colored handkerchief, a small change purse with a five dollar bill inside, and a note tightly folded with Bobby’s name on it.

“Hey, look at this Ned,” said the young man, pulling the folded paper from the purse, “Sara wrote a note and it’s addressed to me!”

“I imagine that she was going to give it to you when she planned to meet you yesterday,” observed Ned.

Excitedly, Bobby started to unfold it but then suddenly froze. 

“What’s wrong?” asked Ned, looking at Bobby.

“Ah, Ned,” replied Bobby, “what if it’s bad news?”

“What do you mean?” 

“What if it says that she can’t see me anymore,” said Bobby, panic in his voice, “maybe her grandmother has threatened her or something.”

“Well old man,” replied Ned, smiling and patting Bobby on the shoulder, “there’s only one way to find out and that’s to read it.” 

Bobby swallowed hard and then opened the note.

“Dear Bobby;

I’m writing this note to you because it’s hard for me to say this to you in person. So, I’m going to hand this to you when I leave you to go home. I hope you don’t mind. I’ve tried to tell you how I feel about you but you’re so cute that when I look into your eyes, I forget what I wanted to say.

I really like you, Bobby, and not just as a friend. I like you more like if we were girlfriend and boyfriend. I don’t care what my grandmother says, I want to keep seeing you. She can’t stop me. I won’t let her.

I hope you feel the same about me. I think you do. 

Sara”

Bobby looked up at Ned and grinned.

“Congratulations, Bobby!” said Ned, “sounds like Sara really likes you!”

“Yeah,” replied a relieved Bobby, “and I like her too. I sure hope that she’s OK so that I can tell her.”

“I hope so too,” agreed Ned, and then said to himself, “and I hope that Nancy is OK so that I can tell her I much I love her.”

They continued their slow progress toward Sara’s school. As they neared the front gates of St. Pius, the school bell started to ring, signaling the end of classes for the day.

“Let’s hang out here for a minute,” said Ned, “maybe someone can tell us something.”

For several minutes, dozens of chattering students passed by Ned and Bobby, barely giving them a glance. They were all dressed as Bobby had described, blue blazers with a crest on the pocket and red ties. Ned was just turning to Bobby to tell him that they probably should be going when a young attractive student approached them. She was about Sara’s age and was carrying several books in her arms. Her blondish red hair shown in the sunlight and, as she came closer, Ned noticed a sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose. She had startling blue eyes that were trained on Bobby.

“I bet that’s how Nancy looked when she was younger,” smiled Ned.

“Hey there Bobby,” said the girl, “if you’re waiting for Sara, she isn’t here.”

“Hi Eunice,” answered Bobby, “I know. Have you seen Sara lately?”

“Not for a while,” replied Eunice, “she hasn’t been in class. She must be sick.”

“Can you remember the last time you saw her?” asked Ned.

“Well hi,” said Eunice, turning her attention to Ned, as if finally noticing him standing there. She locked her intense blue eyes onto his face, and he got the distinct feeling that he was being examined.

“Eunice, this is Ned,” Bobby said, introducing the two, “Ned, Eunice. She’s a friend of Sara’s.”

“Hi Eunice,” replied Ned, giving her a brief nod, “we’re trying to find Sara. She’s missing. We wonder if you could give us any information that might help.”

“Why don’t you ask that crazy grandmother of hers,” replied Eunice, “she’s probably locked poor Sara up in a bell tower someplace to keep her from seeing Bobby.”

“No, her grandmother doesn’t know where she is,” answered Ned, “that’s why we’re looking for her.”

“Humph,” replied Eunice, as if not quite believing it, “the last time I saw Sara was two days ago when she was picked up by the chauffeur. I was kind of surprised because she had told me that she was going to meet Bobby at their secret place. She had written him a note and she was anxious to give it to him. But, when I came around the corner over there, the chauffeur was pushing her into the car. I remember her shouting at him that she didn’t want to go but he pushed her in anyway. He must have been mad because he was pretty rough with her.”

“So, it was on the same day that she wrote the note,” asked Ned, “that the chauffeur picked her up?”

“Yes,” replied Eunice.

“Was it the same chauffeur that usually picks her up?” Ned asked.

“No, it was the other guy” answered Eunice.

“The other guy?” asked Ned.

“Yes,” she replied, “I recognized him. It was that guy Lucky something or other. Sara told me that he helps out at the estate when they need an extra hand.”

“Thanks, Eunice,” replied Ned, smiling, “you’ve been a big help!”

“You’re welcome,” Eunice replied and then said, “So, Ned, maybe we could meet for ice cream one day. I know a nice…”

Ned blushed and quickly cut her off. “Sorry, Eunice,” he said, “but I’m already taken.” 

“Too bad,” she said, shrugging her shoulders, “but not surprising. The cute ones usually are,” and with that, she turned and sauntered away. 

“Wow, Ned,” exclaimed Bobby, looking over at him in admiration, “Eunice is the most popular girl in St. Pius. Too bad you’re already taken!”

Ned chuckled, and shook his head. “Eunice is still a child. She needs to go to the ice cream parlor with boys her own age.”

“Oh, I get it! You just told her you were taken to get rid of her,” said Bobby, nodding.

“No, I am taken,” replied Ned, proudly, “by another beautiful red head. And, she’s the smartest, sweetest, bravest, woman you’ll ever meet. I bet she’s with your Sara, right now, trying to find a way out of whatever predicament they’re in.”


	5. Chapter 5

Carson Drew sat across from Chief McGinnis, firing off a series of questions.

Along with being the longest serving Police Chief in River Heights, McGinnis was also an old friend of the Drew Family. He had known Nancy since she was a little girl.

“How many men have you put on the case?” asked Carson.

“Well..” the chief started to respond.

“Do they know to look for both Sara Worthington and Nancy?” asked Carson.

“I can assure you….” started the chief again.

“Do you have any leads?” peppered Carson.

This time Chief McGinnis said nothing, deciding it best to let his old friend continue without interruption.

“How many are hot?” continued the lawyer, now up and pacing, “when can we expect an arrest? Where have you looked so far? Who have you questioned? Have you spoken with the Worthington servants? What about Mrs. Worthington? Have you spoken with Sara’s teachers? There is a boy involved. He is working with Ned at the moment. Have you interrogated him yet?”

As Mr. Drew ranted on, a young sergeant entered the room, handed Chief McGinnis a note, and then quietly left. 

“Ah, perfect,” murmured Chief McGinnis.

“You’d better find my daughter, and Sara Worthington, soon or else,” said Carson to the wall. 

“We have just brought both Bobby Murray and Ned Nickerson in for questioning,” interrupted the Police Chief, finally getting a word in, “they have been separated and are in interrogation rooms 2 and 3.”

“Ned?” asked Mr. Drew, spinning around on his heels, and shaking his head, “why are you interrogating Ned?”

“He was the last person seen with your daughter,” stated Chief McGinnis, “correct?”

“Yes, but...” Carson Drew started. 

“The neighbors reported hearing an argument between the two,” continued the Chief.

“Yes, they had a slight disagreement,” replied Carson.

“And Nancy was seen leaving Mr. Nickerson’s home late in the evening and she appeared very upset,” finished McGinnis.

“But I saw her, myself, the next morning,” countered Carson.

“Mr. Nickerson knows where you live,” shot back the Chief, “he could have come over that morning and attacked her in a fit of rage.”

Carson Drew stared at the Police Chief for a moment and then started chuckling. “O.K. Chief, you got me! I apologize for barging in here like this.” He threw up his hands and added, “Ned would never hurt Nancy. Never. In fact, he’s usually the one protecting her and getting hurt himself. He and Nancy have dated for many years. They are engaged to be married…”

“WERE engaged to be married…” interrupted Chief McGinnis.

“Were engaged, had a small argument, and will be engaged again very soon,” said Mr. Drew, and then added, “Chief, you’re a married man.” 

Chief McGinnis smiled and nodded, “thirty years,” he replied.

“Did you and Mrs. McGinnis ever argue just before the wedding?” asked Carson Drew, smiling, “ever get cold feet? Ever say something that you shouldn’t have and hurt her feelings.”

Chief McGinnis looked up at the attorney and said, in mock seriousness, “No, sir. Mrs. McGinnis and I have never had a cross word between us!”

“Of course not,” chuckled Carson, realizing that his old friend had been trying to calm him down. He smiled and sat back down in his chair. 

“That’s better. Look Carson, I’m very fond of Nancy,” said the Chief, “I have watched her grow into the wonderful young woman she is today. Why, we consider her a member of our police force! And whenever something happens to one of our own, we let no rock go unturned! We’ll find her and young Sara, you can bet on it.”

“And about Ned,” started Carson Drew.

“He’s outside in the hallway waiting for you. He and Bobby came in while you were barking at me. They were hoping to catch you before you left the station.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Nancy had been able to remove the pin from the bottom hinge and was now working on the middle one. It was difficult work that required quite a bit of concentration. However, as she worked, her detective’s mind reviewed the facts of the case.

“Try working backwards, Drew,” she told herself, “start with what you know.”

What she knew was obvious. She and Sara, the girl she had been hired to find, were locked in a storage room in an old abandoned school house. She didn’t know their location. She could not be exactly sure of the time of day or the exact length of their imprisonment. However, since sunlight was streaming through the small transom window above the door, she concluded that it was late afternoon. That meant that they would soon be approaching twenty-four hours locked in the room. Nancy also knew that it was well over that when she had left her house in search of Sara.

On the morning after her fight with Ned, she had gotten out of bed early, determined to get a start on her new case. She was not going to let the breakup of their engagement interfere with her assignment to find the missing girl.

She had started her investigation by interviewing Mrs. Worthington’s staff. She had been able to quickly scratch off the housekeeper and maid from her suspect list. But she had been unable to interview Frank and Myra Post because they were out visiting the brother. 

On a whim, she had asked the housekeeper if she knew where Myra Post’s brother lived, and the housekeeper had been able to give her the address. It was in a less desirable side of town and, at first, Nancy debated whether she should ask Bess and George to accompany her. In the end, however, she thought it best for her to do a primarily investigation before enlisting the aid of her friends.

“No use dragging them along unnecessarily,” she said to herself, knowing that the real reason was that her friends would detect her sad mood and grill her about Ned. She just didn’t want to talk about him yet, not even with her closest friends.

She had found the address easily enough and was just pulling up to the curb on the opposite side of the street when she saw the front door open. A rather sinister looking man of about forty years of age, came out and glanced around. He was tall, muscular, and wore workman’s overalls. 

Nancy ducked down in the front seat of her roadster just in time to avoid being detected. The man went back inside before emerging again, this time dragging a girl behind him who was trying to pull out of his grasp. He held her tightly and shoved her into a car which was parked in front of the house.

“Sara Worthington!” exclaimed Nancy, trying to decide whether she should try and wrestle Sara from the man or follow behind the pair and wait for a better opportunity to rescue her.

“I’d better follow them,” she decided, realizing that she would be no match for the man.

They drove through town, making several turns, before finally pulling up in front of a local hardware store. Although they never left River Heights, Nancy had been forced to follow them for nearly an hour. She had kept well behind but was unsure if the driver ever knew that he was being followed.

The man tugged Sara out of the car and instead of going into the store, pushed her down a small alleyway directly next to the building.

“I mustn’t lose sight of them,” Nancy said to herself, stepping out of her car and crossing into the alley. She was just in time to see the pair disappear into a side door. Quietly approaching, she saw a window a few feet above.

“I’ll look in the window first, before I risk going inside,” Nancy thought, looking around and finding a wooden crate that she could climb on to reach the window. Peering inside, she saw that Sara was sitting in a chair in the middle of a dark and dusty room. The girl looked angry and had her hands crossed in front of her. She did not appear to be bond. There were two adjoining rooms off the back side of the main room and no sign of the man. 

“It looks like he has gone into another room, perhaps to get some rope,” observed Nancy, “now’s my chance!”

Jumping from the crate, she quietly and gently pushed open the door and took a step inside.

“Watch out!” yelled Sara, before a sweet-smelling handkerchief was clasped over Nancy’s mouth and the world went black.

“I know that Lucky is either related to the Posts, or at least a friend, since he was seen at their brother’s house,” she told herself, as the middle hinge pin finally fell onto the floor. After hearing about the Posts from Sara, it sounded like they may very well have a vendetta against Hazel Worthington. “They must all be connected to the kidnapping! Now all I have to do is get out of here and prove it!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The ransom note has arrived!” cried Bess, waving it about as she and George raced into the Drew’s living room. They had just come from Mrs. Worthington, bringing the note with them. It was 3:00pm and the group had gathered as planned.

“Excellent!” exclaimed Mr. Drew, “let’s see it!”

The note was written in block letters on a brown paper bag. 

“You will put $50,000 in $20 bills in this paper bag and drop in the #3 trash bin at the River Heights Railway Station. You will do this at 8:00 tomorrow night or else you will never see your granddaughter again. Do not contact the police or else!”

“Well, the demands are very clear,” replied Mr. Drew, “what is Mrs. Worthington going to do?”

“Nothing,” said George, “Bess and I were able to get her to agree to wait until she heard from you.”

“But she is very anxious so you may want to do so soon, Mr. Drew,” added Bess.

“Yes, certainly,” agree Mr. Drew, “but let’s hear what everyone’s discovered and then come up with a plan before I do.”

They went around the room with each of the teams disclosing what they had learned. Bess and George had interviewed the Worthington maid and housekeeper and found that they could provide no information. Mrs. Myra Post, the cook, and her husband, Frank, the gardener and sometime chauffeur, both told Bess and George that they thought that Sara had run away from home with Bobby Murray.

“She’s in love with that worthless boy,” huffed Mrs. Post.

“Yes, that’s right,” agreed her husband, “I went to pick her up and she wasn’t there. She’s an ungrateful child. Doesn’t know when she has a good thing going. She’ll inherit everything once her grandmother dies.”

When the ransom note arrived, Mrs. Worthington had cried in anguish and tossed it over to George. Then, as they had stated before, both girls jumped into their car and came to meet the rest of the group at the Drew house.

Carson Drew told of his visit to the police station and Chief McGinnis. 

“The Chief swears to me that they have several officers on the case,” he said, “and I believe him. He is very fond of Nancy and says that his department considers her a member of their team.”

Finally, it was Ned and Bobby’s turn. Fortunately, they had a lot to tell, starting with the discovery of the purse, which Bobby dramatically held up for the group to see.

“This indicates that Sara was most likely taken against her will,” said Ned, “and we also talked with one of Sara’s classmates. Eunice told us that she saw Sara being picked up by a man named Lucky Bennett, not Frank Post.”

“Ah, that is interesting!” exclaimed George, “because Frank Post told us that he was the one who drove down to Sara’s school to pick her up.”

“Could there have been some kind of mix-up and both men went to retrieve her?” pondered Carson Drew, “Lucky Bennett got there before Frank Post?”

“If that’s so,” said Ned, “where is Sara?”

“Good question,” replied Mr. Drew, “was Lucky Bennett at the Worthington’s when you were there?” he asked Bess and George.

“No,” Bess replied, “Mrs. Post said he had just left to pick up an order from the grocers.”

“So that means that if he is the one who kidnapped Sara,” said Carson Drew, softly, “he is leaving her all by herself or has someone else keeping an eye on her.”

“And where is Nancy?” exclaimed Ned, “The ransom note doesn’t say anything about her and we still don’t know where she is!”

Just then, Hannah came into the living room, excitement on her face.

“Chief McGinnis is on the phone,” exclaimed Hannah, “the police have just found Nancy’s car!”


	6. Chapter 6

Twenty minutes later, Mr. Drew was pulling up in front of Nancy’s parked roadster with Ned and Bobby following close behind. Bess and George had reluctantly returned home but made Ned promise to call them as soon as he could and let them know what happened.

The car was being searched by two police detectives and Chief McGinnis himself.

“Hello, Carson,” greeted the Chief, shaking Carson Drew’s hand, “one of our patrol officers found the car about a half hour ago. The only thing we’ve found so far is Nancy’s purse and in it is this note.”

The note appeared to be hastily written and read, “following Sara and kidnapper.”

“That’s one of Nancy’s methods,” said Ned, “she always tries to leave some sort of clue behind should something happen to her.”

“Well now we know that she had found Sara, was in the process of trying to rescue her, and discovering the identity of her kidnapper,” replied Mr. Drew.

“Chief!” shouted a police officer from the alleyway a few yards from the car, “I think I’ve found something.”

The men joined him and saw several footprints and the wooden crate stacked up against the window. A woman’s footprints led up to the crate and then toward an alleyway door. Along the alleyway was also a smaller woman’s footprints and that of a man’s. They led directly to the door.

“Looks like the kidnapper took Sara here and Nancy followed,” theorized Ned, “she used the wooden crate as a way of looking inside the room before she entered.”

“I think you’re right, Ned,” replied Mr. Drew, “and it may be that somehow, in the course of her investigation, she got caught!”

The men opened the door and stepped inside. There were obvious signs of a struggle. Scuff marks could be seen just inside the doorway and a chair lay on its side in the middle of the floor. Ned saw a small object laying in the corner and stooped to pick it up.

“It’s Nancy’s locket,” said Ned softly, cradling it in his hand, “I gave it to her for Valentine’s day two years ago.”

“Well, that definitely proves that she was here,” replied Mr. Drew, “it looks like she stepped inside and the kidnapper caught her by surprise.”

They quickly searched the rooms in hopes of finding the two women, but it became clear that they had been taken elsewhere. Dejected, they stepped back into the alleyway in time to see a young police officer walking toward them.

“I sent one of our officers inside the hardware store to interview the staff,” Chief McGinnis said, pointing in the direction of the corner, “here he is now. He may have some information that could help us.”

Officer McCord approached the group with notepad in hand. “Chief,” he began, “the manager of the shop just told me that he saw a fella carry two large bundles out of the alleyway, drop them in the back of his car, and drive off. He assumed that they contained something like lumber or machine parts because the man had some trouble handling them.”

“Nancy and Sara could have been in each of those bundles,” exclaimed Bobby, letting out a whistle.

“When was this?” asked the Chief.

“Yesterday afternoon,” replied Officer McCord, “and even better news. He recognized the guy. He’s a regular customer at the hardware store.”

“Does he know his name,” asked Carson Drew, excitedly.

“Yes,” answered the officer, “his name is Lucky Bennett.”

“Lucky Bennett!” exclaimed Ned, “that’s the man who helps out at the Worthington estate and who picked up Sara on the day she went missing.”

“Indeed, he is,” answered Mr. Drew, “Chief, I say we drive over to the Worthington place and have a little chat with Mr. Bennett.”

“I’m sure a few of my men would enjoy coming along for the ride,” smiled Chief McGinnis, signaling several of his officers.

“Ned, will you take charge of getting Nancy’s car back home?” asked Carson Drew.

“Yes, sir,” replied Ned, “leave it to me.”

Ned tossed his own car keys to Bobby. “Here, catch,” he said, “you drive my car while I drive Nancy’s.”

“Gee, that’s swell!” replied Bobby, smiling.

“Be careful!” warned Ned, “she’s all I’ve got!”

They had only driven two miles when Bobby, who had been following Ned in Nancy’s roadster, suddenly began honking his horn and motioning for Ned to pull over. 

“What is it, kid?” shouted Ned over his shoulder, “is something wrong with my car?”

Shaking his head, Bobby quickly stepped out of the car and came over to Ned. “No,” he explained, and pointing to a side road said, “look over there. I think that’s Mrs. Worthington’s car! You know, the one she sends to pick up Sara from school.”

Ned stepped out of the roadster to stand beside Bobby. “You recognize the car?” asked Ned.

“Sure,” replied Bobby, “but I’d like to get a closer look to make sure.”

The two men carefully walked down the sidewalk and passed the vehicle, which was parked on the curb in front of a rather seedy looking house. The neighborhood was not a good one and the street contained several abandoned homes with an abandoned school building across the way.

“Yup, that’s it alright!” said Bobby, with confidence as they walked on along. “And that could be Lucky Bennett’s house! What do we do now? Go up and make the guy tell us what he’s done with Sara and Nancy.”

“No, he won’t admit to anything,” said Ned, thoughtfully, “and he might even call the police on us. We don’t have any proof as yet. But it won’t hurt to take a look around and see if we can find any clues.”

They walked up one side of the street and then down the other but found nothing. Bobby looked over at the abandoned school building and saw that the gate was open.

“If I was trying to hide someone, that building would be a good place,” he said casually.

“Your right!” exclaimed Ned, “let’s see if we can get inside.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’ve almost got it!” exclaimed Nancy, “the pin is nearly out!” and, with one final strike of the tap shoe on the ruler, the top hinge pin fell to the floor.

“Hurrah!” yelled Sara, “now let’s try to pull the door open!”

“I’ve got to rest for a moment,” said Nancy, weakly, as she sank down on the floor. They had gone a long time without food and water and both women were beginning to feel faint.

“I’ll try while you rest,” replied Sara, searching for a way to grip the left side of the door that held the hinges.

“Please be careful,” warned Nancy, “the door is heavy.”

“It’s no use,” cried Sara, after pulling at the door for several minutes, “it won’t budge.”

“Here, I’ve rested enough,” said Nancy, struggling to get to her feet. She stumbled to the door and began pulling with Sara, but the heavy door would not budge. 

Sara began to cry. “I’m not sure how much longer I can make it, Nancy,” she said, crumbling to the floor. 

“I know,” replied Nancy, trying to soothe the young woman, even though she, herself, wondered how much longer she would be able to go on. Their situation was looking very bleak. But she added, “We mustn’t give up hope! I’m sure someone will be along any minute now.”

At that very moment, they heard someone calling Sara’s name. At first, they thought they might be imagining it. 

“Sara! Sara!” called the voice, “are you in here?”

It seemed like a miracle! Sara recognized Bobby’s voice. “In here, Bobby!” she yelled, somewhat hoarsely, “we’re in here!”

“We?” said a voice that sounded like Ned, “is Nancy with you?”

“Yes!” shouted Nancy, “oh Ned! Is that you?”

“Yes, sweetheart! It’s me!” he shouted in response. “We’re in the hallway. Where exactly are you?”

“In a storage room at the end of the hall,” replied Nancy.

“I see it,” they heard Bobby say. Soon Ned and Bobby were outside the door and turning the knob.

“It’s locked,” explained Nancy, through the door, “we’ve managed to take out the hinge pins but the door still won’t budge.”

“What do we do now?” asked Bobby, “look for something to force it open?”

“Yes,” replied Ned, and then he said loudly, “Nancy, you and Sara stand as far away from the door as you can. I’m going to break it down!”

“Really?” said Bobby, in awe.

“Just watch me,” replied Ned, with determination. He backed up a few feet and squared his shoulders.

“We’re ready, Ned,” yelled Nancy, “please be careful.”

And with that, Ned Nickerson, former star quarterback of the Emerson football team, and a man deeply in love with the woman held prisoner behind the door, came barreling down the dusty hallway and crashed through it, splintering it into pieces. The door never stood a chance.

“Nancy!” he cried, scooping her up in his arms.

“Ned!” she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck and clinging to him.

Bobby and Sara’s reunion was less cinematic.

“Hey Sara,” said Bobby, coming over to her side and gently wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her.

“Hey Bobby,” replied Sara, “boy am I glad to see you two!”

“We’re glad to see you two as well,” the boy replied softly, “let’s get out of here. Can you walk?”

“Yes, I think so,” answered Sara, “although I’m a little weak.”

“I’ll catch you if you fall, Sara,” said Bobby, “don’t worry,” he added as he guided her out of the room and down the hallway.

“Oh, Nancy,” whispered Ned, in her ear, “I’m so glad I found you! Are you O.K? Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m O.K.,” said Nancy, against his neck, “I’m just very weak. Sara and I haven’t had anything to eat or drink since we were captured. We’ll feel better after we’ve eaten.”

Ned had been holding Nancy in his arms, with her feet dangling off the floor. Now, he bent down slightly to warp an arm under her knees and lift her completely. He turned and carried her out of the room and followed Bobby and Sara down the hallway. Soon they were outside and, glancing up and down the street to make sure they were not observed, quickly moved toward their cars parked at the end of the road. As they quietly made their way across the school grounds, Ned noticed that Mrs. Worthington’s car was gone.

“I guess Lucky Bennett has driven it back to the estate,” said Ned to himself, “he doesn’t know that the police are there waiting for him!”

“Let’s drive to my house,” Nancy told the group, as Ned put her down and opened the car door. “I know that she’s very worried, but I think that we’d better postpone telling your grandmother that you’ve been rescued. I think that the Posts are involved with Lucky Bennett and we don’t want to tip them off.”

“O.K.,” said Sara, “as long as we can get something to eat at your house.”

“No problem there,” chuckled Ned, “Hannah’s the best cook in town, Sara. She’ll feed you till you burst.”

“Then let’s go!” shouted Sara, joining Bobby in Ned’s car.

Nancy slid into the passenger seat of her roadster next to Ned, and in a moment they were off. 

Hannah Gruen could barely believe her eyes when Nancy entered the house, with Sara, Ned, and Bobby close behind.

“Nancy!” she cried, throwing her arms around her, “you’re home! I can’t believe it! Are you O.K?”

“Yes, Hannah,” replied Nancy, “but very, very hungry. Do you think you could fix something for us? Sara and I are half starved.”

“Yes, of course!” exclaimed Hannah, leading the group into the kitchen, “sit down and I’ll bring you all something immediately.”

After an hour, Nancy and Sara both began to feel better. Despite their hunger and thirst, they made themselves eat slowly, letting their stomachs adjust to food and water after going without for nearly two days. Ned, having hardly eaten since he and Nancy had argued, devoured everything Hannah placed in front of him. Only Bobby ate lightly, opting for a sandwich and a glass of milk.

Nancy had asked Hannah to call her father at the Worthington home and use the “family code” which would let him know that she and Sara had been rescued without alerting the rest of the Worthington household.

“Mr. Drew,” said Hannah, when Nancy’s father came to the phone, “the materials you ordered have just arrived. Neither package is damaged. I have placed them in the kitchen.”

“Excellent, Hannah!” replied Carson Drew, trying to contain his emotions, “that’s great news. I’ve been waiting for that delivery for several days. I’m leaving now and should be home soon.”

“Message received,” Hannah said to Nancy, chuckling as she returned to the kitchen. “Your father says he’s on his way.”

Nancy explained to her puzzled guests that the Drews and Hannah had come up with a code in case they needed to transmit information to each other without being over heard.

“We’re the materials, Sara, and Hannah just let Dad know that we’ve made it home safely. We can’t take the chance that someone wasn’t listening in on the phone call.”

“You certainly live an adventurous life, Nancy” replied Sara.

“Is it O.K., Mrs. Gruen, if I use your phone to call home,” Bobby now asked the housekeeper, “I’m usually home by now and my mother might be worried.”

“Yes, of course,” answered Hannah, showing the young man to the phone in the hallway.

“He’s a very nice guy,” said Nancy to Sara, as she swallowed another piece of ham, “I can see why you like him.”

Sara smiled. “Yes, he’s very nice. I just wish my grandmother felt the same way,” she sighed. Then leaning closer to Nancy, she said, “and you were right. Your Ned is gorgeous.”

Nancy just blushed and continued eating but Ned grinned, and lifting a hand dramatically to his forehead, joked, “ah, it’s such a tribulation to be admired for my good looks.”

“and your door busting abilities,” replied a teasing Sara.

Bobby returned to the kitchen, telling everyone that his mother really needed him home.

“Ned,” he asked, “sorry to bother you but could you give me a lift home?”

“Ah, sure kid,” replied Ned, shooting Nancy a reluctant glance. 

“I’ll ride with you!” said Sara.

“Better not,” replied Nancy, “someone might see you and we don’t want to let Lucky Bennett know that we’ve been rescued.”

“Besides,” Hannah added, “it looks like you could use a nice hot bath and good night’s sleep. I’ll get everything ready while you walk your young man to the door.”

Both Sara and Bobby blushed at Hannah’s use of the term “your young man”, but Sara stood and took Bobby’s outstretched hand, as they walked out of the kitchen and toward the Drew’s front door.

“Nancy,” said Ned, softly, “I don’t want to distress you further, but I …” he dropped his gaze, struggling with his emotions. It had been a traumatic several days. “I just wanted to tell you that I love you.”

Nancy paused before looking into his eyes and then replied, “I love you too, Ned.” She knew that he was trying to be respectful of her feelings. After their fight, and then her disappearance, they hadn’t had time to talk about the status of their relationship, but she still loved him, of course, and missed him and, apparently, he felt the same way.

He nodded and leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Good night,” he whispered, as he stood and left the kitchen.

Ned and Bobby passed Mr. Drew on their way to Ned’s car. Nancy’s father gave them a quick wave as he shot passed and up to his front door.

“Nancy!” her father shouted, as he threw down his hat and briefcase and rushed down the hallway. His daughter met him halfway.

“Dad!” she cried, throwing herself into his outstretched arms, “Gee it’s good to be home!”

“I’ll say!” Carson Drew exclaimed, hugging his only child tightly, “can you tell me what happened? Are you hurt? Tired? Why did Hannah use the family code? What’s up?”

Nancy introduced Sara to her father. The young woman was yawning and making her way up the staircase to the Drew’s guest room. After the brief introductions, Nancy pulled her father into the kitchen and they sat down at the table. 

“I don’t want the kidnappers to know that their hostages have been rescued,” she explained, “we never saw Lucky Bennett again after he drugged us in that room behind the hardware store. No one ever came to give us food and water while we were locked inside the school building. They most likely believe we’re still there. Once they find we’re gone, they’ll try to skip town.”

“Well, Lucky Bennett won’t be going anywhere. The police have brought him in for questioning,” explained her father.

“Good,” replied Nancy, “did Mrs. Worthington ever receive a ransom note?”

“Yes,” replied Mr. Drew, “in fact, I’ve got it locked in my safe. I’ll get it for you,” and he left the kitchen, returning minutes later with the note, only to find his exhausted daughter asleep in her chair, with her head resting on the table. 

Chuckling, he woke her, saying, “Nancy, come on. You can look at this later. You’re exhausted. Time to go to bed.” She woke and, running a hand through her hair, said with a smile, “I guess you’re right, Dad! I am exhausted! It’s been a very tiring two and a half days.”


	7. Chapter 7

“So, Ned,” said Bobby, as they drove through River Heights on their way to his house, “you were talking about Nancy when you told Eunice that you were already taken.”

“Yes,” responded Ned, “that’s right.”

“You really like her a lot, don’t you?” added Bobby.

“Yes, a lot,” replied Ned, “in fact, I’m madly in love with her and have been since the moment I first laid eyes on her.”

“You don’t say,” marveled Bobby, “love at first sight, huh?”

“Yes,” answered Ned, casting a quick glance over at his passenger.

“Well, I can believe that,” Bobby said, thoughtfully, “she’s very pretty although I think my Sara’s prettier.”

“Glad to hear it,” replied Ned, nodding, “because if you ever tried to take Nancy away from me, we’d have to fight.”

“No way,” said Bobby, not realizing that he was being teased, “You’re tough. I won’t dare!” And then, after a few moments, he added, “besides, Nancy’s a little too old for me, I think.”

“By a few years,” replied Ned, smiling, “but Sara’s only a year younger then you, right? And she’s pretty, and smart, and very nice. I’d say she’s perfect for you.”

“Thanks,” said Bobby, turning red, “I think so too.”

They rode in silence for several minutes before Bobby asked, “Ned? How does a fella know when he’s in love with a girl? How did you know that you had fallen for Nancy?”

“Hum, well, I just knew,” answered Ned, realizing that Bobby would need more explanation than that. “It was like this. I turned and there she was, and it felt like lightning struck me. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my entire life. When I looked into her deep blue eyes …”

“… you heard angels sing, and saw a light from above, and you took her in your arms and kissed her, and all that mushy stuff… yuck,” interrupted Bobby, disgust in his voice.

Ned burst out laughing. “No, it was nothing like that,” he said, “in fact, if I had tried to kiss Nancy, she would have punched me in the nose.”

“Why?” asked Bobby, “doesn’t she like it when you kiss her?”

“NOW, yes,” replied Ned, “but at the time, she thought that I was stealing her car.”

Bobby looked over at him in disbelief. “You two are really strange, you know that?” he said, shaking his head.

“Yes, well that’s beside the point,” said Ned, grinning, “but look here, it’s like this, when you first met Sara, did you want to see her again?”

“Yes, very much,” replied Bobby.

“Would you have been able to wait a week before you saw her again?” asked Ned.

“No way!” answered Bobby, “I wanted to see her the very next day!”

“And when you saw her again,” continued Ned, “did your pulse race, even a little?”

“Yeah, like I had just run a race,” said the young man, nodding.

“What was it like the first time you held her hand?” 

“Like I was on top of the world,” replied Bobby, smiling, “like I could do anything!”

“And do you think about her often?” Ned asked.

“Yeah, all the time,” answered Bobby, softly.

“How did you feel when you heard that she had disappeared? That she was in trouble and maybe even dead?” said Ned.

“I didn’t want to think about it,” exclaimed Bobby, “I couldn’t think about it!”

“Well, kid,” smiled Ned, “I’d say you are definitely in love. Sort of makes you feel sick inside, doesn’t it?” he added with a chuckle, “but you have lots of time to figure things out with Sara. You’re both still young.”

“Yes,” smiled Bobby, and then asked, “how have you managed being in love with Nancy for so long? I’m not sure I could stand it!”

Ned shrugged. “I don’t think I could stop loving Nancy if I tried. And I can’t wait to marry her and settle down. I’ve wanted to for a very long time, but Nancy was only 18 when we met and I was still in college. I’m glad we’ve waited because, even though I didn’t think it possible, I love her even more now than I did then.” He paused and then said, nearly in a whisper, “We were supposed to get married in a few months” he added sadly.

He fell silent and Bobby studied him for a few moments, before finally asking, “were? Did something happen?”

“I think I really blew it,” Ned said, softly, and then nothing further.

~~~~~~~~~~~

When Carson Drew came down to breakfast, he found his daughter carefully examining the ransom note which she had retrieved from his safe. Next to her sat Sara, eating a stack of Hannah’s famous hotcakes, with the remnants of bacon and eggs on a plate next to her. He sat down next to Nancy, who had apparently just finished her breakfast, save for a glass of orange juice. Her magnifying glass and fingerprint kit lay in front of her and she was carefully dusting the note.

“It’s somewhat harder to see fingerprints against a brown paper bag but I think I may have found one,” she said, picking up the magnifying glass and peering through it.

“I think you’re right, Nancy!” replied Mr. Drew, as Nancy passed him the note and the magnifier. “Excellent! You’ll have this to show Chief McGinnis when he stops by this morning.”

“The Chief is coming to the house?” asked Nancy.

“Yes, I slipped him a note last night after I got Hannah’s call,” her father replied, “I couldn’t have us wasting police resources looking for you and Sara after you’d been rescued. Now it’s time to find and arrest the perpetrators.”

“And I believe I know who they are!” smiled Nancy, as the front doorbell rang.

“Ah, that must be Chief McGinnis now,” said her father, taking a quick sip of his coffee before pushing away from the table and standing, “you can tell us both!”

However, it was Bess and George who came rushing into the kitchen, not the police chief.

“Oh, Nancy!” exclaimed Bess, throwing her arms around her friend and giving her a tight hug, “we’re so glad you’re safe! We thought we’d lost you for good!”

“It was touch and go for a while,” admitted Nancy, “but Ned and Bobby came to our rescue just in time.”

“It was Ned who called us last night to let us know,” said George, reaching around Bess to give Nancy a hug, “Bess and I were ready to jump in the car and come right over but Ned warned us to act as though you were still missing. So, we’re pretending that we’ve just stopped by this morning to check in with your father,” she added, chuckling.

The girls were introduced to Sara and, as they took a sit at the table, Chief McGinnis entered the kitchen, escorted by Hannah. He shook Carson Drew’s hand before giving Nancy a big bear hug.

“Nancy, my dear!” he said in his larger than life voice, “I’m so glad to see that you’re safe! You can’t imagine my relief when your father told me you had been rescued! And this must be young Sara!”

“Hello Chief,” responded Nancy, smiling, “Yes, it’s good to be home. This is Sara Worthington. I’m sorry that we haven’t reported her rescue to her grandmother, yet, but I have reason to believe that her cook and gardener, Mr. and Mrs. Post, are involved in our abduction.”

For the next hour, Nancy related all that she knew concerning the case. She told of following Lucky Bennett from the house of Myra Post’s brother as he transferred Sara to the room behind the hardware store. She told of climbing up on the wooden crate to look in the window before stepping into the room and being captured.

“Bad luck, there, Nancy,” her father commented, “but I suppose Lucky figured out that he was being followed and set a trap for you.”

“Which I foolishly walked right into,” replied Nancy, with chagrin, “I had no idea that he was hiding behind the door waiting to grab me.”

She told of being knocked out, waking up in the school storage room, and their attempts to escape. She then asked Sara to tell the story concerning the Post’s past relationship with her grandmother and the betrayal of promises. 

“Just imagine believing that you’ve been given a nice job with a house and comfortable salary only to end up as the cook and gardener,” exclaimed Hannah, “I’m not saying that what they’ve done is right, but I do understand it.”

“Yes, exactly,” replied Nancy, “I don’t believe that the Post’s meant any harm to Sara but I’m not sure of Lucky Bennett’s intentions.”

“You mean leaving us to starve to death?” questioned Sara.

“Yes, I’ve wondered about that,” Nancy pondered, “it does seem unusually cruel. Perhaps each of the parties involved thought the other was feeding us?”

“Or they thought that you’d be found right after Mrs. Worthington paid the ransom,” said Carson Drew.

“I’m not sure about that,” replied Chief McGinnis, “after all, they didn’t even send the ransom note until Nancy and Sara had already been held for 24 hours. Now they have a charge of attempted murder along with kidnapping!”

“They’re really not very smart criminals,” said Nancy, “they used Mrs. Worthington car to kidnap Sara. The car is easily recognizable and several of Sara’s classmates know the chauffeurs who pick her up after school. Lucky Bennett is known to work for the family. He first took Sara to Mrs. Post’s brother’s house. Which means he is either her brother or a close friend of the family. He didn’t even try to disguise his identity. Then he kidnapped me, adding another person he had to transport. Why not just leave me knocked out in the room in the alley?”

“Perhaps they are planning on making a separate deal,” said Mr. Drew, softly, “after all, the Posts most likely knew Mrs. Worthington hired you to search for Sara and that you’re my daughter.”

“You mean send you a ransom note for Nancy’s release?” asked Chief McGinnis, looking at Carson.

“That would make sense,” interjected Nancy, thoughtfully “I’m not mentioned in the ransom note to Mrs. Worthington.”

“Which means that I should be receiving a ransom note very soon,” said Mr. Drew, smiling. 

“What I don’t understand,” said the Chief, “is why they risked moving Sara to three different locations, each time risking being discovered!”

“I think I can answer that,” replied Sara, “Mrs. Post’s brother’s house is pretty nice. I was locked in a bedroom with a bed to sleep on. Lucky also fed me. But when I threatened to scream, he probably thought that his neighbors would hear me. I’m sorry I said that to him because if I’d had stayed there, I wouldn’t have nearly starved and Nancy would never have been caught.”

“We can’t be sure he wouldn’t have moved you anyway,” said Nancy, patting the girl’s hand, “the house may have only been a temporary place until they finished making their plans to move you to the nearby abandoned school building. The room in the alley was most likely a stopping place to throw me off the trail, or even capture me, when Lucky Bennett realized he was being followed. I remember wondering why we drove around for an hour without ever leaving River Heights.”

“You haven’t told us how you got away,” reminded Hannah, pouring more coffee into the cups of Carson Drew and Chief McGinnis. She waved the pot at Bess and George, but the cousins declined with a shake of their heads.

“Ned and Bobby were driving the cars back to the house when Bobby spotted Mrs. Worthington’s car parked along a side road in front of Lucky’s house,” replied Nancy, “they saw the abandoned school building and, acting on a hunch, they decided to investigate.”

“At first we couldn’t believe our ears,” added Sara, beaming, “and then we recognized their voices. Before long, Ned came crashing through the door like a steamroller!”

“Yes, he has a habit of doing that,” replied Mr. Drew, drily, “when rescuing Nancy.”

“Well, I, for one, was never so happy to see him in all my life!” exclaimed Sara.

“Me too,” said Nancy, blushing slightly at the memory, “me too.”

“So where do we go from here?” asked Carson Drew, casting a gaze around the room.

“Well, I’ll bring this paper bag containing the fingerprint down to the station,” replied Chief McGinnis, “we’ll run it through our files to see if we can find a match to anyone with a record. And we’re still questioning Lucky Bennett. So far, he’s been a hard nut to crack.”

“George,” said Nancy, turning to her friends, “would you and Bess go talk to Lucky’s neighbors and see if you can find out anything about him? I’m especially interested to see if he is related to the Posts.”

“Sure thing, Nancy,” replied George, pulling her cousin to her feet, “you can count on us!”

“And I’m going to call Ned to see if he’ll take off from work today and come over,” said Mr. Drew, as he turned away to hide the twinkle in his eye, “I may need his help should Frank and Myra realize you’re gone and try to make trouble.”

Nancy eyed him suspiciously but said nothing. She knew that her father was probably up to something, but she couldn’t deny that she would like having Ned around.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Nancy, do you think we could talk for a minute?” asked Ned, as he stood, hat in hand, at her front door.

“Yes, Ned,” replied Nancy, her heart pounding, “I suppose we’d better.” She opened the door wider to let him in and then showed him into her father’s study.

They sat down on opposite ends of the couch, and Ned turned slightly to face her. “Nancy,” he began, “I feel terrible. I didn’t mean to hurt you and I certainly can’t blame you for breaking off our engagement. At the time, I thought that I was being noble by postponing our wedding until I could find another job. At least, that’s what I told myself. But, deep down, if I’m honest, I was afraid that when you found out, you’d think that I had failed you. I want to be a good husband, Nancy. I would never want to let you down. Your happiness means the world to me.”

Nancy sat silently, her hands in her lap, her expression calm. But, one had only to look into her eyes to see how truly hurt she had been. 

“I…..,” Ned’s words stuck in his throat and he swallowed hard, “I have always known that I’m not really in your league. You could have any man in the world and when you said ‘yes,’ I couldn’t believe it! I have loved you for so long and you said ‘yes!’” Ned blushed and smiled as he recalled that moment when she had accepted his proposal.  


“I remember how pleased your father was when I got the job with Bailey Brothers. He knew that his daughter would live comfortably. We won’t be rich, not like you’re used to, but we would have a great start. I knew that if I worked hard and did well at the firm, the promotions would come, and I would be able to provide very well for us. When I lost the job, well, I was ashamed.”

He looked down at his hands and shook his head sadly. “I wanted to tell you a million times. Even while I was driving home that very evening until I realized that we had the dinner party.”

“And then our parents got into that conversation about your cousin Luke,” said Nancy, softly.

“Yes,” nodded Ned, “my parents made their opinion very clear and, although your Dad didn’t seem to share it, I was pretty sure he’d be against our getting married if he knew I was unemployed. The thought of losing you is unbearable. The only thing I could think to do was postpone the wedding until I could find another well-paying position. I didn’t realize that I was hurting you.” He leaned forward placing his hands, palms down, on the cushions between them. “You’re my whole world, Nancy, and I don’t have much to offer you but my love. Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?”

“Ned,” replied Nancy, finally speaking, “When you didn’t tell me what had happened, but instead tried to postpone our wedding, I assumed that you wanted to get out of marrying me. It nearly killed me!”

“Oh, Nancy!” exclaimed Ned, shaking his head, “I never meant that.”

“What kind of marriage will we have if we can’t share our failures as well as our successes?” she continued, “and you should never feel ashamed about anything with me, Ned. I have never been disappointed in you, never. You tell me that you want to be a good husband. Well, you need to give me a chance to be a good wife.”

She paused and then reached out and took his hand.

“I believe in you,” she said, “I always have. I’m certain that you’ll find another position. It may take some time, but it will happen. In the meantime, we’ll find a way to make it work. It might be tough for a few years, but, well, we’ve always managed well in tough situations. The important thing is that we’re together. I love you so very much.” 

Nancy stood suddenly and came over to sit next to him. “So, listen here, you adorable man,” she said, taking his face in her hands and looking deep into his eyes, “three months from now, I’m walking down the aisle, on my father’s arm, wearing my mother’s wedding dress, ready to slip a gold wedding ring on your finger and if you fail to be there, standing in front of the minister, in white tie and tails, looking very handsome, then I’m going to have to kill you. Do you understand me, Nickerson?”

“Yes, ma’am,” replied Ned, chuckling and holding her tightly, “I’ll be there! It will be the happiest day of my life!”

“Mine too,” said Nancy, softly, as she leaned in to kiss him.


	8. Chapter 8

The ransom note came to the Drew home about an hour later. It was made with cut out magazine letters pasted onto a plain white piece of paper. It had been folded in half and slid through the mail slot.

“Certainly not as creative as the brown paper bag ransom note,” smiled Nancy, as she unfolded it carefully and read, “If you want to see your daughter again you will put $50,000 in gym locker #26 at the YMCA on Oak Avenue at 8:00pm tonight. Place the money in the blue bag located in the locker. No police and no funny business.”

“This must have been sent by the Posts because Lucky Bennett is in police custody. I’m glad that they think me as valuable as Sara Worthington,” she chuckled, carrying the note toward her father’s study. He had decided that it would be best to work from home to add to the illusion that he wanted to stay by the phone in case he should receive any news about Nancy.

“It would look suspicious to the kidnappers if I casually went to the office while my daughter was being held for ransom somewhere,” he had surmised.

“Indeed,” agreed his daughter. 

She stopped at his study door, pausing a moment before knocking. Ned was speaking with her father and she was somewhat apprehensive about it. After their talk earlier, Ned had suggested that he explain his job situation to Mr. Drew. Normally, she did not keep things from her father, but she also felt that any decisions she made with her future husband were between the two of them. 

“Ned,” she had argued, “as much as I love my father and, of course, value his opinion, I don’t need his permission to marry you.”

Ned, however, understood Carson Drew’s trepidations when it came to his daughter’s eventual marriage so, throughout the years they had dated, he had made sure to remain in Mr. Drew’s good graces.

“I know, sweetheart,” Ned had replied,” but I don’t want him to find out some other way. I don’t want him to have any reservations about you marrying me.”

“He’ll always have reservations about me marrying,” she chuckled, giving him a quick kiss, “but, if I HAVE to get married, I know that he’s always been happy that it’s to you!”

Now, standing outside the study door, she said, “might as well get it over with,” and tapped gently on the door. 

“Is it safe to come in?” she asked, peering inside the room.

“Yes, come in Nancy,” answered her father, rather sternly.

She could detect traces of strain around Ned’s eyes as she walked over to stand next to him.

“Ned’s been telling me about his situation,” said Carson Drew, “unfortunate timing.”

“Yes,” replied Nancy, “but…”

“It’s hard to imagine,” her father continued, “how the two of you will manage to pay your mortgage and put food on the table.”

“Dad?” began Nancy, again.

“Is it really necessary that they rush into marriage?” Mr. Drew said, turning to direct his question to his desk lamp, “I know that they’ve known each other for several years so what’s a few more until Ned’s financial situation is more secure.”

Nancy’s jaw tightened and she braced herself for an argument. 

“But then there’s the issue of the death,” sighed Mr. Drew, shrugging his shoulders, “I can’t afford to have blood on my hands. Won’t look good for my law practice.”

Nancy paused and then folding her arms across her chest, asked, “Father, dear, what on earth are you talking about?”

“Hum? Oh,” answered Carson Drew, turning to look at her, a twinkle in his eye, “Ned just told me that he loves you so much that he will not be able to go on living without you. So, there it is,” Mr. Drew threw up his hands, “if I try to stop the wedding, Ned will die.”

“Dad, please don’t tease us,” Nancy scolded, although she was now smiling, “we’ve both been very worried about what you might say.” 

“Don’t worry, Nancy,” grinned her father, “I’m happy that you two are going ahead with the wedding. I’ve told Ned so. Marriage is full of ups and downs, but I know that the two of you love each other enough to weather those storms. I’m also optimistic that Ned will find a job soon. And, until then, I have reminded him that he is joining our little family and, as such, should not hesitate to ask for help. After all, he is not only gaining a wife, but also a father-in-law. I am here for both of you. Always.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Ned, solemnly.

“Besides,” joked Mr. Drew, “it doesn’t really matter what I say. If Nancy has agreed to marry you, Ned, there’s nothing I can do or say to stop her!”

“That’s right, Dad!” Nancy replied, chuckling, and sliding her arms around his neck, kissed him on the cheek, “but it’s nice to know I have your approval anyway!”

“So, daughter, is that a ransom note you hold in your hand?”

“Oh, gosh, with all this talk about marriage, I nearly forgot!” Nancy said, handing it to her father.

“$50,000?” teased Mr. Drew, “I’m not sure that I can get my hands on that much money. I may have to let them keep you.”

“Over my dead body,” replied Ned.

“Yes, well,” said Nancy, thoughtfully, “I believe now is the time to come up with a plan. Dad, I think you should collect Mrs. Worthington and bring her to the house. I’m sure she’ll be relieved to see Sara.”

Although she missed her grandmother, Sara Worthington had rested well at the Drews and was now in the library reading.

“If we’re going to have company, I suggest Hannah order some pastry from the bakery,” replied Nancy, with a wink to Ned.

“Oh?” responded Carson Drew, smiling, “you’re not doing any matchmaking, are you, Nancy?”

“Why Dad,” she replied chuckling, “what an outlandish idea!” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mrs. Worthington was, at first, greatly annoyed at having been dragged away from her estate by Carson Drew.

“Mr. Drew,” she had said, as Nancy’s father parked in his driveway and assisted her out of his vehicle, “I am not accustomed to being taken from my home without explanation and certainly not in someone else’s car. I have my own chauffeur. Mr. Post could have driven me over to meet you. Besides, I need to go to the bank to withdraw the money for the ransom! I must make the ransom payment at 8:00 tonight.” 

“I will explain everything, Mrs. Worthington,” replied Carson, “once we get inside.”

She was grumbling as she entered the Drew’s hallway but stopped short when she looked up and saw her granddaughter coming down the staircase.

“Grandmother!” exclaimed Sara, rushing toward the elderly woman and throwing her arms around her.

For a moment, it looked as though Mrs. Worthington would faint. The unexpected shock of seeing her beloved Sara caused her to gasp and grow pale. However, she quickly recovered herself and cried, “Sara! Sara! I can’t believe it! You’re safe!”

“Yes, Grandmother!” replied Sara, “Bobby and Ned rescued us last night and brought us here.”

“I don’t understand,” said Mrs. Worthington, still holding onto Sara, “why didn’t someone tell me! I’ve been so worried!”

“I believe that I can answer all of your questions,” replied Nancy, coming into the hallway from the kitchen, “shall we go into the living room and I’ll explain everything.”

The group moved to the living room, joining Ned who was already seated in one of the arm chairs. He stood quickly as Mrs. Worthington entered and offered the chair to the elderly woman who sank down in it slowly. 

“Mrs. Worthington,” began Nancy, sitting next to Ned, who had moved to the sofa, “your part-time helper, Lucky Bennett, is the one who abducted Sara and held her prisoner in an old abandoned school building near his home. He was the one who picked her up after school that day with the singular purpose of holding her for ransom.”

“But how is that possible,” asked Mrs. Worthington, “I sent Frank Post to pick up Sara and was told that she had most likely run away with that delivery boy.”

“I was on my way to meet Bobby, Grandmother” said Sara, “when Lucky insisted that you had sent him to pick me up. I wanted to give Bobby a note, but I never had any intention of running away with him.”

“That’s right, Ma’am,” replied a voice from the living room doorway. They all turned to find Bobby standing there, a box of pastry in his hand. “I do love Sara, but we are too young to run away together,” added the young man, “besides, I need to stay here and support my family.”

“Thank you, Bobby,” said Hannah, suddenly appearing in the hallway to take the box from Bobby, “please join the group. I have told your boss that you will be delayed getting back to the bakery.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Gruen,” said Bobby, taking a chair between Sara and Mr. Drew.

“Let’s review the facts of the case,” continued Nancy, “who told you that he went to pick up Sara but couldn’t find her?”

“Why, Frank did,” replied Hazel Worthington.

“Who told you that Sara ran away with Bobby?” asked Nancy.

“Myra Post,” answered Mrs. Worthington.

“So, we only have the Post’s word for what happened to Sara,” Nancy pointed out. “I believe that they were part of the plan to kidnap her.”

“Why do you think they’re involved when it was Lucky Bennett who did the kidnapping?” asked Mrs. Worthington, still unwilling to believe that her former theatre colleagues would do such a thing.

“Because it took two people to drag both Sara and me into the school building,” replied Nancy, “and we just received a ransom note for my release. Lucky Bennett is currently in police custody. The only thing left to figure out is how Lucky is connected to the Posts.”

“We can answer that!” exclaimed Bess, as she and George hurried into the room.

“Goodness!” cried Sara, “this place is busier than Grand Central Station!”

“What have found out?” asked Nancy, excitedly.

“Just that Lucky Bennett is Myra Post’s younger brother,” exclaimed George, “a very helpful neighbor named Mrs. Clara Hope was a good friend of their mother, the late Mrs. Mary Bennett, and she claims to know Lucky and Myra very well. Mrs. Hope told us that the family has always struggled for money and had pinned all their hopes on Mrs. Post becoming a famous actress. They didn’t like it when Myra gave up her stage career to follow Mrs. Worthington to River Heights but felt better when they were told that she would have a well paying job at the estate. Mrs. Hope said that they were very troubled when this didn’t happen.”

“Myra begged to come with me,” said Hazel Worthington, defensively, “she knew that she was washed up as an actress. I owe her nothing!” 

“Grandmother!” exclaimed Sara, “you promised Mrs. Post the job of running the house, not just as the cook!”

“Lies!” shouted Mrs. Worthington, “I suppose that ingrate told you that!”

“No,” replied Sara, “my mother did.”

Hazel Worthington recoiled and stared at her granddaughter, tears brimming in her eyes. “Constance told you that?”

“Yes, Grandmother,” answered Sara softly, “she used to talk a lot about you and your acting career. She was very proud to be your daughter. She talked about how you and the Posts often acted together and were close friends. She said that the only time she was ever ashamed was when you refused to honor your promise to them.”  


Her grandmother lowered her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

Bess reached over and handed a handkerchief to Mrs. Worthington. She then said, “Mrs. Hope told us that Lucky Bennett joined the staff at the estate to help out but even that was not enough for them to make ends meet. In fact, he and his sister blame Mrs. Worthington for the death of their mother.”

“What!” cried Sara’s grandmother, “I never even met the woman!”

“Very true,” said George, nodding, “when Mrs. Bennett became sick with pneumonia,” she explained, looking around the room, “the doctor told Myra that her mother was undernourished and that’s why she was so ill. He prescribed medicine but the family could not afford to purchase it. When Mrs. Bennett died, the family blamed Mrs. Worthington.”

“Rather ironic that the Worthington cook could not feed her own mother,” said Ned, quietly. 

“I imagine that the Post’s became quite resentful towards you, Mrs. Worthington,” replied Nancy, gently but firmly, “and probably thought that kidnapping Sara would compel you to give them the money they thought they deserved. I don’t believe that they ever intended to hurt her.”

“This is really not fair to Grandmother,” said Sara, speaking up, “after all, she can’t be expected to take care of her staff’s entire family!”

“That’s true,” agreed Bobby, “after all, I take care of my family and don’t expect any help from anybody. If they were so bad off, one of them should have looked for a better paying job. Lucky Bennett perhaps!”

“This is all well and good,” interrupted Carson Drew, “but the fact is that they have broken the law and must be held accountable. After all, Nancy and Sara were not given any food or water during their captivity and could have died.”

“Yes, that’s true,” added Nancy, slipping her hand into Ned’s, “if Ned and Bobby hadn’t come to our rescue, we surely would have perished.”

“So, what do we do now?” asked Ned.

“We set our trap!” answered Nancy.


	9. Chapter 9

Punctually, at 8:00 pm that night, Mrs. Worthington slowly made her way to the River Height’s railway station and approached the trash bin marked #3. She glanced around briefly before dropping a small brown paper bag into it. In it was $50,000 in $20 bills.

She paused for just a moment before turning around and walking back to her car. Her chauffeur, Frank Post, had waited for her and now opened the door and helped her in.

“Shall we return home, Hazel?” asked Frank.

“Yes, Frank,” replied Mrs. Worthington, wistfully, “we’d better. I hope to have my dear Sara returned to me now that I’ve paid the ransom.”

“I’m sure you will,” was all Frank said, as he pulled away from the station and turned in the direction of the Worthington Estate.

Simultaneously, Carson Drew opened gym locker #26, in the YMCA on Oak Avenue. He carefully pulled out the blue bag from inside and slipped in a large envelope containing $50,000. Fortunately, the ransom note had not specified any denomination, so Mr. Drew had the convenience of being able to use $100 bills which fit more easily into the envelope.

“Now it begins,” murmured Mr. Drew to himself, as he got into his car and drove away.

When Mrs. Worthington arrived home, Frank helped her out of the vehicle and then said, “I need to take Myra into town to pick up a few items for tomorrow’s dinner. It shouldn’t take us long. We should be right back.”

“Take all the time you need, Frank,” replied Hazel Worthington, her voice reflecting her despair as she slowly climbed the steps to her front door. But, as he drove around to the backdoor of the house, she stopped and looked at the disappearing vehicle, “being an actress certainly comes in handy at times,” she chuckled to herself.

“Do you have our suitcases?” said Frank, calling out to his wife as he entered the kitchen.

“Shush!” she warned, putting her finger to her lips, “quiet you fool. Do you want Hazel to hear us? The bags are over there. Hurry, let’s go!”

Frank picked up two large suitcases as Myra grabbed a few smaller ones and they headed out the back door. They threw the luggage into the truck, jumped into the car, and started down the driveway unaware that Ned and Nancy had carefully pulled out of a side lane and where now following them. About a half mile from the house, a police cruiser fell in behind Ned’s car and then, after another half mile, a second cruiser joined them. The police vehicles were blocked from view by Ned’s car and the Post’s showed no indication that they knew they were being followed.

They drove down Oak Avenue and past the YMCA but did not stop to pick up the ransom money.

“That’s odd,” said Nancy, “perhaps my ransom was just Lucky’s scheme after all, and he had someone else deliver the note.”

“Well, they must know about the money at the train station,” replied Ned, “we’ll catch them there!”

“You idiot!” Myra shouted at her husband, “you forgot the money in the YMCA! We’ve got to turn back and get it!”

“There’s no time!” answered Frank, “We’ve got a train to catch right after we pick up the money from the bin. Besides, the other money was Lucky’s idea. He’s the one who insisted of kidnapping the meddling Drew girl. Let him risk picking it up from the locker. After all, the cops won’t be able to hold him forever for questioning. He’ll need the cash to make his getaway.”

“That worthless brother of mine is always mucking things up,” sulked Myra Post, “but, I guess you’re right. Just step on it, OK?”

They arrived at the Railway station ten minutes later and quickly unloaded their luggage from the trunk of the car. Without looking around, they hurried to the ticket counter and purchased two one-way tickets to New York City.

“What time does the train arrive in New York?” asked Frank to the young man behind the counter.

“Three o’clock,” replied the man, looking down at his schedule.

“Looks like we’ll have plenty of time to catch our flight to Mexico,” responded Myra, as the two nodded to the young man and turned toward the platform.

“Stay here and watch the bags while I go get the money,” whispered Frank, “I’ll be right back.” And he disappeared around the corner in the direction of trash bin #3.

When five minutes had passed, Myra became worried but, just as she was beginning to collect the bags and go find him, Frank returned carrying a brown paper bag under his arm.

“I’ve got it,” he declared softly, “let’s go!”

“I don’t think you’ll be going anywhere,” said a voice behind them, “other than jail!” The Post’s spun around to see Chief McGinnis and several police officers standing between them and their train. 

“Why, Chief McGinnis,” said Frank Post, with a forced smile, “how are you, sir? What’s this all about?”

“I think you know exactly what this is about!” replied the Chief.

“No idea at all,” interjected Myra Post, “now if you will please get out of our way, my husband and I have a train to catch!”

“Slowly put the brown paper bag down on the ground,” instructed one of the officers, pointing to the bag under Frank’s arm.

“This is my lunch, officer,” smirked Frank, “surely a ham sandwich is of no concern to the River Heights police?”

“Place the bag on the ground, Frank,” instructed Chief McGinnis, forcefully, “or we’ll have to take it from you by force.”

“Ok, ok,” replied Frank, and he started to bend over slowly with the bag in hand. Suddenly, he tossed it to his wife, yelling “run, Myra!”

However, just as Myra turned to run, Nancy and Ned stepped from behind a newsstand and blocked her way.

“Not so fast, Mrs. Post,” shouted Ned, grabbing Myra by the arm.

“I’ll take that,” said Nancy, yanking the bag from Myra’s arms and walking toward the police. “I believe you’ll find that this contains the ransom money from Hazel Worthington.”

“Right you are,” smiled the Chief, opening the bag and looking in, “yes, here it is!”

“How did that get in there?” asked Myra, in fake innocence, “you must have picked up the wrong bag, Frank, when I told you to go into the kitchen and get our lunch for the trip.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” nodded her husband, “this is all a big mistake. We don’t know anything about a ransom.”

“Oh, I think you do,” replied Nancy, and she signaled for Sara to step forward. 

The young woman had been waiting, unnoticed, behind the group of police officers. She now stepped forward with Bobby following close behind her. Frank and Myra let out an audible gasp.

“Hi, Frank,” said Sara, “I imagine that you’re surprised to see me. You were probably counting on my being dead by now.”

“As I’ve said before,” Frank finally said, pulling himself together, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He glared at Sara.

“It’s no use,” said Nancy, stepping forward, “Myra’s brother has told us everything. You might as well give yourselves up.”

“Lucky won’t do that,” replied Myra, wrath in her voice, “he would never squeal to the cops.”

“But he has,” assured Nancy, “but even before he betrayed you, we had evidence.”

“She’s bluffing, Myra,” said her husband, “they can’t pin anything on us.”

“We have your fingerprint on the ransom note,” replied Nancy, “not only is it a perfect match, it was made from potting soil. You really should have washed your hands, Frank, before you handled the bag.”

Frank exchanged a glance with his wife who just shrugged her shoulders.

“We also know that the membership to the YMCA on Oak Avenue is in your name and that locker #26 is yours,” added Nancy.

“That doesn’t prove anything,” replied Frank, “there is no law against a guy working out every now and then!”

“But there is a law against that locker being used as a collection site for ransom money,” replied Nancy.

“What ransom money?” asked Frank’s wife, “we don’t know anything about ransom money!” 

“Mrs. Worthington made you both promises,” continued Nancy, ignoring her, “of which she failed to deliver. I realize that it was wrong for her not to do so, but this doesn’t justify your kidnapping Sara or me.”

“It was that idiot brother of Myra’s that kidnapped you, Nancy Drew,” snarled Frank, “but you shouldn’t have meddled. If you had just left things alone, we would have gotten the money that Hazel owed us and been on our way. We won’t have harmed Sara. Lucky was supposed to feed you,” he added, turning to Sara, “we were only responsible for getting the money.” 

He heard his wife choke back a gasp and realized that he had just admitted to being involved with the abductions.

“Quiet, you fool!” shouted Myra at Frank, “don’t tell them anything!”

Suddenly frantic, he jumped forward and grabbed Nancy, swinging her around, and placing her in a choke hold. He slid his other hand into his coat pocket.

“Don’t anyone move,” he snarled, dragging Nancy a few feet backwards with him, “or this meddling girl gets it.”

“Frank?” said Myra, uncertain as to what to do.

“I’ve got a pistol in my pocket and I’ll blow a hole right through her,” warned the man.

No one moved. 

“Frank,” said his wife, “we don’t want to do this. This would be murder. We just need the money.”

“Your wife is making a lot of sense, Frank,” said Chief McGinnis, “you don’t want to add a murder rap to your kidnapping charge.”

“Ha! This was all her idea! And it would have worked if this nosey girl hadn’t gotten involved,” responded Frank, tightening his grip on Nancy’s neck.

Nancy grimaced but remained calm, her hands griping his arm, trying to keep him from squeezing her tighter. The police officers surrounding them had drawn their revolvers and aimed them at Frank and Nancy. Frank made sure that Nancy was positioned between him and the police.

Ned stood close by, tense, and ready to spring into action. Nancy locked her gaze on his face and raised her eyebrows. “Be ready,” her glance told him. 

He blinked twice, “on your mark,” was his silent reply.

“She owes us,” snarled Frank, “Hazel Worthington owes us!”

“Why do you say that?” asked the police chief, keeping them talking, and buying some time, “she gave you both jobs didn’t she?

“Low paying jobs, they are,” said Myra Post, “barely enough to keep body and soul together. She promised us better positions. Frank and I gave up lucrative acting careers to come work for Hazel!”

“That’s true, Chief,” agreed Frank, “she’s the one who deserves to go to jail, not us!”

All through the exchange, Ned never took his eyes from Nancy’s. 

“And the kid was never hurt,” exclaimed Frank, “look at her! She’s fine. No harm done!”

“Except that you nearly starved us to death,” retorted Sara. 

Unnoticed, Nancy, whose hands were still on Frank’s arm, lifted one finger.

Ned tensed his leg muscles.

She then lifted a second finger.

Ned rolled his weight slightly forward onto his toes.

Nancy lifted a third finger. Ned’s arms began to swing upward as Nancy collapsed in Frank’s grasp and slumped down. Surprised, Frank released his strangle hold, only to see Ned leaping toward him. In a split second, Ned’s fist smashed into Frank’s face, breaking his nose, and sending him sprawling onto the ground.

Ned extended a hand to Nancy, helping her to stand, and then wrapped his arms around her. 

“That will teach you to grab my fiancée and threaten her life,” Ned said gallantly, looking down at the withering Frank, “and if you ever call her vile names again….,”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” interrupted Nancy, patting his chest, “I think he got the point.”

“Cuff them!” shouted Chief McGinnis, as a swarm of police officers descended on the Posts, “Nancy, you took quite a chance. He could have shot you!”

“No, Chief,” she chuckled, “if you look inside his pocket, you won’t find a gun.”

He nodded to one of the officers who reached inside Frank’s pocket. “She’s right,” said the Officer, “his pocket’s empty!”

“Now how in the world did you know that?” asked Chief McGinnis, scratching his head.

“It was what Frank said and the way he said it,” replied Nancy, “he said ‘I’ve got a pistol in my pocket and I’ll blow a hole right through her’. It sounded very much like a line from a movie. And then I remembered “One Night in Brooklyn”, the movie that the Posts were in with Mrs. Worthington. There was a scene in which Frank, playing a cabbie, grabs Mrs. Worthington’s character in the exact same way and says those very same words. I took a chance that, in his panic, he was falling back on what he did best. Acting. He was playing a scene without a real gun in his pocket. He was hoping we’d fall for his bluff.”

“Which, of course, Nancy Drew would never do,” smiled Ned.

“For a minute, I must admit I did,” she responded, “but, once I collected my wits, it occurred to me that the Post’s are not really the murdering type. After all, it was Lucky who nearly starved us, not Frank and Myra. I really don’t think that they meant us any real harm.”

“Well, now that we have their confession,” said the police chief, “Lucky will sing like a bird. They’ll all be put away for a long time!” As he turned to leave, he added, “and Nickerson, anytime you want to join the force, let me know. It’s not everyone who can apprehend a suspect without ever pulling a weapon,” he chuckled, walking away.

“You defended Nancy’s honor, again!” sighed Sara, looking up at Ned with admiration.

“Yes, about that. How did you two manage Nancy’s escape from Frank just now,” asked Bobby, “I never heard you say a word to each other.”

“Oh, but we were talking the entire time,” chuckled Ned, “with signals. All I had to do was to keep my eyes on Nancy and follow her lead. You don’t hang around Detective Drew for years without working out a few escape plans.”

“Amazing,” said Bobby, in awe.

“Yes, she is,” replied Ned, smiling down at his future wife who was looking up at him fondly.


	10. Chapter 10

The two couples were seated in a booth at the River Heights Soda Shop. Bobby and Sara were sharing a large banana float, while Ned and Nancy each enjoyed a sundae. 

The case was solved, the kidnappers behind bars, and all the ransom money returned. This was a celebration and everyone was in a festive mood. 

And even beyond that, there was more good news to share.

“Congratulations, Bobby!” exclaimed Nancy, “it’s wonderful that you’ve gotten a really great job!”

“Thanks,” replied Bobby, a huge grin crossing his face, “it was really nice of Mrs. Worthington to give me the gardeners job! And, I get to be the chauffeur as well!”

“Grandmother needed someone to replace Frank Post,” explained Sara, “but you could have knocked me over with a feather when she offered it to Bobby! I think she wanted to make amends for all that’s happened!”

“Well, she’s done more than that!” added Bobby, “when she found out that my ma can cook, she hired her as well. She’s taking Mrs. Post’s old job and at a higher wage at that!”

“Bobby and I get to see each other every day, now!” said Sara, “he drives me to school and then drives on to his school with his kid brother and sister.”

“Yea, I’m able to work around my school schedule. It’s great to be back in class,” smiled Bobby, “now I’ll get to finish and graduate with a diploma! Then I can find an even better paying job. Maybe in sales.”

“That’s really wonderful,” replied Nancy, “we’re really very happy for you!”

“Well,” said Ned, “I’m afraid you’ll have to wait on that.”

“Why?” asked Bobby.

“Yes, why Ned?” asked Nancy.

“Because I have some news for you, Bobby,” replied Ned, reaching into his jacket pocket and bringing out an envelope, “you see, I’m an alumni of Emerson College and I was able to make a few calls, one to the Dean of the Engineering Department and he pulled up your high school grades….and….well..” Ned handed the envelope to Bobby, who just stared at it.

“Well, open it, silly,” urged Sara, squeezing his arm.

Bobby ripped open the envelope, glanced over the letter, and gasped.

“Ned, sweetheart,” whispered Nancy, “what did you do?”

“Nothing,” answered Ned, “I just made a few calls. It was Bobby’s hard work, his grades, and recommendations from his teachers that did it.”

“They’re giving me a scholarship,” replied Bobby, in shock and with tears in his eyes, “after I graduate from high school this summer, I can start at Emerson in the fall. The letter says my tuition and books are paid for!”

“Wow! That’s great!” exclaimed Sara, giving him a tight hug, “I’m so proud of you!”

“I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you, Ned!” said Bobby, “I can’t believe it!”

“No need to thank me, old man,” chuckled Ned, putting up a hand, “just work hard and keep your grades up, and that will be thanks enough.”

“If you save and put some money away, you’ll be able to pay for your room and board,” encouraged Nancy.

“Well,” interjected Ned, “would you consider pledging for the Omega Chi Epsilon Fraternity? It’s my old frat and if you’re interested, I would like to be your sponsor.”

Bobby’s jaw dropped and he just stared at Ned. Ned took the silence as an opportunity to continue.

“You see,” he said, “the advantage of joining a fraternity is that your room and board are free. All you have to do is come up with the charter membership fee. It can be a bit expensive, but it’ll be cheaper than the cost of a dorm room.”

“Gosh, that would be great!” exclaimed Bobby, “I’d certainly like to pledge! Do you know what the fee might be? Maybe I can do some extra chores for Mrs. Worthington and earn the money!”

“When would you have time, Bobby?” asked Sara, worried, “you’ll be busy enough finishing high school and working as our gardener and chauffeur. You’ll need to keep your grades up to keep the scholarship.”

“Ned,” said Nancy, putting her hand on his and giving it a little squeeze, “aren’t you forgetting the Omega Chi Epsilon’s President’s Award?”

“Er? Ah…?” replied Ned, looking at Nancy puzzled.

“He’s being modest, now,” continued Nancy, looking over at Sara and Bobby, “Ned was the president of the fraternity during both his junior and senior years. As a past president, he can award one new fraternity brother of his choice the President’s Award which means that the fee is waived. So, Ned could waive your first two years, Bobby!”

“Which, of course, I will,” replied Ned, “and by your third year at Emerson, you’ll have saved up enough money to pay your last two years of fees.”

“I don’t know what to say,” said Bobby, softly, “it’s like I’m in a dream! Thank you! I’ll work hard and never give you any reason to regret any of this! Just wait and see!”

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine, Bobby,” assured Nancy, “now why don’t you go share the news with your mother! I’m sure she’ll want to hear all about it!”

“You bet!” said the young man, jumping from the booth, “are you coming, Sara?”

“Yes, I don’t want to miss seeing her faint when she hears all the news!” chuckled Sara as the two of them ran out of the soda shop, hand in hand.

“Nancy, darling?” said Ned, after a moment.

“Yes, Ned?” replied Nancy, snuggling up close to him.

“You know as well as I do that there’s no Omega Chi Epsilon President’s Award,” Ned grinned, “what are you up too?”

“Well,” she replied, sweetly, looking into his eyes, “since you now have a really great job that pays so well, I thought, if it’s O.K. with you…”

“That we’d pay Bobby’s charter fees,” interjected Ned.

“Yes,” replied Nancy, “I’m sorry. I should have asked you but there wasn’t a chance. I didn’t have any idea that you were able to get him a scholarship to Emerson. Bobby’s a great kid. I guess I got caught up in the moment.”

“I can’t blame you, sweetheart,” replied Ned, smiling, “I guess I got caught up in the excitement, too, by wanting to surprise everyone. I think paying two years of Bobby’s fee is a wonderful idea. I’m glad you thought of it. After all, I have you and your father to thank for getting me this job in the first place!”

“Ned Nickerson!” she exclaimed, poking him in the chest, “you got that job all by yourself! Mr. Hunter has always liked you and Dad just happened to run into him last week and mention that you had been released from Bailey Brothers. I just followed up with scheduling an interview. You’re the one who landed the position. And I’m so proud of you, Ned!”

She reached over and slid her hand into his and they sat silently for a moment.

“Do you have any idea how much I love you?” asked Ned, suddenly.

“Probably as much as I love you,” she answered, looking deep into his soft brown eyes.

As Ned bent down to kiss her, a young attractive redhead strolled by their booth. She paused and glanced over at them.

“Oh, hello Ned,” she said, somewhat flirtatiously.

“Hello, Eunice,” nodded Ned, straightening and turning towards her.

“Nice seeing you again,” replied Eunice.

“Yes,” nodded Ned, turning back to Nancy. 

Nancy looked up at him with raised eyebrows as Eunice continued on her way.

“Ned?” said Nancy.

“It’s a long story,” replied Ned, shrugging his shoulders.

“I’m sure,” she replied, “and you’ll have plenty of time to tell me after you kiss me,” and she leaned up and kissed him deeply. 

~~~ THE END ~~~


End file.
